• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer
Zippy Facts Logo

Zippy Facts

Interesting Random Facts

  • Animals
  • Culture
  • Firsts
  • Food
  • Geography
  • Health
  • History
  • Inventions
  • Language
  • Mythology
  • Odds
  • People
  • Religion
  • Science
  • Space
  • Universe
  • World
You are here: Home / History / Who was Mary McLeod Bethune and What was her contribution to the civil rights movement and education?

Who was Mary McLeod Bethune and What was her contribution to the civil rights movement and education?

March 11, 2020 by Karen Hill

After graduating from Moody Bible Institute in 1895 (where she had been the only black student), Mary McLeod Bethune (1875-1955) taught at Haines Institute in Georgia.

In 1904 she traveled to Daytona Beach, Florida, to establish a school for young black women, despite having only $1.50 in her pocket. Using money raised from selling sweet potato pies and donations from churches and clubs, she created the Daytona Normal and Industrial Institute for Negro Girls.

In 1923, she merged her school with another black Florida school, the Cookman Institute, to form Bethune-Cookman College, which still exists today.

Bethune also founded the National Council of Negro Women (NCNW) in 1935, was the director of the National Urban League, and served as an adviser to four presidents.

Related Facts

  • What was the civil rights movement and How did the American Civil Rights Movement originate?
  • History of Golf
  • Who was Asa Philip Randolph and What was his contribution to the Civil Rights Movement?
  • Who were the Little Rock Nine and How was the Little Rock Crisis important in the African American Civil Rights Movement?
  • Who was W. E. B. Du Bois and What was his contribution to the civil rights movement?
  • Who was Barbara Jordan and What was Barbara Jordan’s contribution to the American Civil Rights Movement?

Filed Under: History

About Karen Hill

Karen Hill is a freelance writer, editor, and columnist. Born in New York, her work has appeared in the Examiner, Yahoo News, Buzzfeed, among others.

Previous Post: « How did the New Deal programs affect African Americans in the arts?
Next Post: What are some examples of Black Artists in the United States during the 1900s? »

Footer

Follow

  • Facebook
  • Flickr
  • GitHub
  • Google+
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Medium
  • Pinterest
  • StumbleUpon
  • Tumblr
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Categories

Accomplishments Animals Culture Firsts Food Geography Health History Inventions Language Mythology Odds People Religion Science Space Universe World Your Body

About

Zippy Facts empowers the world by serving educational content that is accessible to everyone.

A tribute to growing up, zippyfacts.com showcases interesting and unusual facts about the world.

Our mission is to use technology to facilitate knowledge transfer and sharing.

Copyright © 2020 Zippy Facts

  • About Us
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy