Mary McLeod Bethune

Children's Literature - Carrie Hane Hung

Mary McLeod Bethune was one of Samuel and Patsy McLeod's 17 children. Bethune attended Emma Wilson's school for African American students, continued her education at Scotia Seminary and Moody Bible Institute. Although she wanted to be a missionary, it was not permitted because she was African American. Instead, Mary McLeod taught at Emma Wilson's school, at the Haines Institute, and later at the Kendall Institute. In Florida, she ran the Daytona Institute which was later renamed the Bethune-Cookman College. Mary McLeod Bethune strongly felt that the students should "think with their heads…do with their hands…serve and teach others from their hearts" so her motto was of "heads, hands, and heart." Because of Bethune's work, President Franklin Roosevelt appointed her to a position in the National Youth Administration which helped young adults with job training. This straight forward biography is part of the "Fact Finders Biographies: Great African Americans" series. This book has a number of photographs of Bethune and includes additional resources about Mary McLeod Bethune.