Six Transformational Leaders, One Cause: Equal Rights

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Six Transformational Leaders, One Cause: Equal Rights

Mary McLeod Bethune

Mary McLeod Bethune was one of the greatest leaders of education reform in the history of the United States. Born in 1875 in Mayesville, South Carolina, her parents were former slaves who purchased a farm of their own. Mary assisted on the farm until she turned eleven years old, when she attended a Presbyterian Church school that was founded by a missionary. This marked the beginning of her roots that would shape her views on education and racial equality. (Encyclopedia of World Biography, 2010).

Mary then attended Scotia Seminary, a school for African-American girls in Concord, North Carolina, where she was profoundly influenced by both black and white teachers. Her graduation from Scotia led her further in her education as a student at Moody Bible Institute in Chicago, Illinois in 1893, where she received extensive training to become a missionary in Africa. It was this desire that further opened her eyes to the depths of racial discrimination, as she was told that African Americans were not allowed to hold missionary appointments. This roadblock, however, led Mary back to the Presbyterian Mission school, where in 1896, Mary become an instructor, as her love for educating black children flourished. Her passion for educating these children became so great that it caused problem with her marriage, and she separated from her husband (Encyclopedia of World Biography, 2010).

The year 1904 brought the construction of the Florida East Coast Railroad, along with hundreds of African Americans who needed employment. Mary’s passion to educate these people became her all-consuming focus. She rented a two-story house in Daytona Beach, Florida, and bega...

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Carson, C. (2001). The Autobiography of Martin Luther King, Jr. New York: Warner Books.

Lotha, G., Promeet, D., Rogers, K., & Singh, S. (Eds.) (2010). Frederick Douglass. Biography.com. Retrieved July 20, 2010 from http://www.biography.com/articles/Frederick-Douglass-9278324.

Gilbert, O. (2010). The Narrative of Sojourner Truth. Stilwell, Kan.: General Books.

John F. Kennedy. (2010). Washington: The White House. Retrieved July 19, 2010 from http://www.whitehouse.gov/about/presidents/johnfkennedy.

Mary McLeod Bethune. (2010). Encyclopedia of World Biography. Retrieved July 20, 2010 from http://www.notablebiographies.com/Be-Br/Bethune-Mary-Mcleod.html.

Meltzer, M. (1987). Mary McLeod Bethune: Voice of Black Hope. New York: Penguin.

Oates, Stephen B. (1994). With Malice Towards None: A Life of Abraham Lincoln. New York: Harper Perennial.

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