07/12/2021
Another GREAT WOMAN we don’t hear about on our textbooks!
Pioneering educator Mary McLeod Bethune founded the Daytona Educational and Industrial School for Negro Girls in 1904 with just $1.50. The first class had six students and supplies were so meager when the Florida school was founded that students made ink for pens from elderberry juice and pencils from burned wood. Twenty years later, it became Bethune-Cookman College. Born on this day in 1875 to former slaves, Bethune also founded the National Council of Negro Women in 1935. She became one of the first African Americans to advise a U.S. President when she served as Franklin D. Roosevelt's Minority Affairs adviser. In 1936, Roosevelt appointed Bethune the director of the National Youth Administration's Division of Negro Affairs, making her the first African American woman to head a federal division. Upon her death in 1955, columnist Louis E. Martin honored Bethune's immense impact in touching many lives, stating: "She gave out faith and hope as if they were pills and she some sort of doctor."
To introduce children to her incredible legacy, we highly recommend the book "Mary McLeod Bethune" for ages 6 to 9 at https://amzn.to/3i67vDy
For two books for adult readers interested in learning more about Mary McLeod Bethune's fascinating life, we recommend "Mary McLeod Bethune in Washington, D.C" (http://amzn.to/2k8qcLZ) and "Mary McLeod Bethune in Florida: Bringing Social Justice to the Sunshine State" (http://amzn.to/2kYkAmw)
For more books for children and teens about pioneering African American women throughout history, visit our blog post "99 Books about Extraordinary Black Mighty Girls and Women" at https://www.amightygirl.com/blog?p=14276
For more books about courageous girls and women of the U.S. Civil Rights Movement, check out our blog post on "50 Inspiring Books on Girls & Women of the Civil Rights Movement" at https://www.amightygirl.com/blog?p=11177
For more true stories of trailblazing girls and women throughout history, visit our "Role Models Biography" book section at https://www.amightygirl.com/books/history-biography/biography
And, for more inspiring stories of pioneering girls and women throughout history, you can sign-up for A Mighty Girl's free weekly email newsletter at https://www.amightygirl.com/forms/newsletter
