Many of the requests I receive from researchers include documentation of Bethune’s activities within the so-called FDR’s “Black Cabinet," an informal black advisory group that raised awareness of issues affecting black Americans. It was what I was looking for.
Or her role as founder of the National Council of Black Women. Or his general involvement in Washington, DC as a resident of Logan Circle, welcoming people from all over the world to NCNW headquarters. But in the process of preserving records and retrieving them for scholars, I soon began to see Bethune in a different light.
Reading her letters, diaries, and notes from various meetings, I realized that Bethune had received honors in Haiti and Liberia. I decided to take a closer look at her activities overseas for my doctoral thesis. And it turns out that she is more involved with the diaspora than I and many others realized.
That experience ultimately laid the foundation for my 2023 book, Mary McLeod Bethune the Pan-Africanist.
According to Nigerian historian P. Orisanwuche Esedebe, Pan-Africanism is “a political and cultural phenomenon that views Africa, Africans, and African descendants abroad as a unit.”
“It aims to regenerate and unify Africa and to promote a sense of unity among the peoples of the African world,” Essedebe wrote. “It glorifies Africa’s past and instills pride in African values.”
Bethune embodied the ideals of Pan-Africanism throughout her life.
global perspective
This is evident from a speech she gave as president in 1926 at the annual convention of the National Association of Colored Women’s Clubs. In her speech, she appealed to black women to unite with people of African descent around the world. Specifically, she said:
We must make this national organization of women of color not just a national influence, but a vital link between people of color around the world.
african identity
Bethune’s story begins in Maysville, South Carolina, where she was born to parents who were once slaves. Her family taught her that her roots were in Africa. Throughout her life, she talked about how her mother came from a royal lineage.
She lived in South Carolina until attending Scotia Seminary (now known as Barbour Scotia College) and graduating in 1893. He then attended Moody Bible Institute, graduating in 1895. Her training prepared her to become a missionary.
Mary McLeod Bethune rose to become one of the most influential black women of the 20th century. In 1904, she founded a small girls’ school in Daytona Beach, Florida. The school later became Bethune-Cookman University.
While living in Washington, D.C. to work for the Roosevelt administration and the National Council of Negro Women, she worked with Carter G. Woodson, the founder of what is now known as Black History Month. Association for the Study of Black Life and History.
In 1935, Bethune founded the National Council of Negro Women, an “organisation of organizations” that united African American women’s organizations under one large umbrella.
The Mary McLeod Bethune Council House – National Historic Site was the organization’s first headquarters. Purchased by the National Park Service in 1994.
“Black America’s First Lady”
As I pored over the archives, I learned about Bethune’s role as the first African-American woman to head a federal agency. Bethune served as director of black affairs at the National Youth Administration. We learned how she was able to secure jobs and critical education funding for African Americans during the Great Depression.
She also fought for the inclusion of African American women in society, working closely with Eleanor Roosevelt during World War II. It soon became clear why Ebony magazine in 1949 declared her “First Lady of Negro America.”
Haiti’s highest honor
When she visited Haiti in 1949 and was awarded Haiti’s highest honor at the time, the Haitian Order of Merit, she visited orphanages, churches, and historic sites to understand the needs of the people and the richness of the culture.
Bethune was often seen proudly wearing her Haitian medal. She wrote about her trip for the Chicago Defender, a national black newspaper.
She campaigned for support for women’s suffrage in Haiti. She also encouraged members of the National Council of Negro Women to support the construction of orphanages in the country and actively raised funds for them.
As I continued to research the archives, I discovered that Bethune spent much of her life working to build solidarity among people of African descent. She traveled to places such as Cuba in 1930, Bermuda in 1931, Canada in 1945 and 1954, and the Bahamas in 1953, building relationships throughout the African diaspora.
as a daughter of africa
Bethune called Africa home in her writings. She considered herself a daughter of the continent. From the founding of the United Nations in 1945, when he called for an end to colonization, to the White House, when he advocated for an end to the poll tax on African Americans, the goal of freedom was always at the forefront. she.
In 1952, she received the Star of Africa Award during a trip to Liberia. Established in 1920, the Star is one of Liberia’s highest honors and is awarded to individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the country or Africa as a whole.
This was a great honor and she did not take it lightly. During her trip, she met with a group of women and visited a local school. She also attended President William V. Tubman’s lavish inaugural celebration.
The trip had special meaning for Bethune. Particularly because when she was 20 years old, she tried to travel to Africa as a missionary, but was told by the Missionary Society that it would be impossible for her to do so because she was black.
At the age of 76, her dream finally came true. In summarizing the trip, she said: “I was thrilled to be able to set foot in Africa, a place I had dreamed of visiting for a long time, a place I had dreamed of returning to.”
Bethune understood her personal connection to the continent and its people, which inspired her to challenge others to do the same. She has been recognized as the “First Lady of Black America,” but perhaps it is time she also be recognized as the “First Lady of the African Diaspora.”
