Faith and her commitment to the Methodist Church were at the center of her life.
That life, lived during a period of racial animus throughout this state and station, stands as an example for women and students. And it soon will stand immortalized when a 6,000-pound, 11-foot marble statue of Dr. Bethune takes its place in the U.S. Capitol's National Statuary Hall after arriving initia lly from Italy.
Each state is allowed to place two statues in the Hall. There was bipartisan agreement in 2016 when Florida lawmakers agreed that the statue of Confederate General Edmund Kirby Smith had to go.
It will be a special moment for Rev. Dr. Geraldine McClellan. She is a graduate of Bethune-Cookman and went on to a long career of service to the Florida Conference of the United Methodist Church.
Bethune-Cookman University is one of the black colleges supported by the Black College Fund which provides financial support to maintain solid, challenging academic programs; strong faculties; and well-equipped facilities.
"We were all Mary's children," she said. "She chose us when she made the charge to invest in our lives. Stepping out in faith, she said, 'Who knows, it might be a diamond in the rough.'
"Bethune-Cookman College (now a university) was that diamond in the rough where Mary's children could prepare themselves to be doctors, lawyers, teachers, musicians, professional athletes, and much more."
In October, U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor of Tampa helped unveil the statue in Daytona Beach, where it was on display until its move to the Capitol.
"Dr. Bethune embodies the very best of the Sunshine State – Floridians and all Americans can take great pride in being represented by the great educator and civil rights icon," she said.
"I am glad that she is being rightfully recognized here in Florida before she travels to her place of honor and recognition by all of America in the U.S. Capitol."
Mary McLeod Bethune was 29 years old when she arrived in Daytona Beach in 1904. Her mission was to start a school for girls.
She had $1.50 in working capital.
She convinced city leaders to allow her to build the school on what had been a garbage dump. However, she saw the diamond in that roughness, and, thus, she founded the Daytona Literary and Industrial Training Institute for Negro Girls.
Five girls and her 5-year-old son, Albert, Jr., were the first enrollees. Within two years, more than 250 students attended the school.
A profile on the Bethune-Cookman website notes, "She created pencils from charred wood, ink from elderberries, and mattresses from moss-stuffed corn sacks."
She didn't stop there.
To address health issues and the lack of medical treatment available to Blacks in Daytona Beach, she founded the Mary McLeod Hospital and Training School for Nurses. It was the first school of its kind on the east coast.
"Her impact is endless," said graduate Reverend Dr. David Allen Jr., incoming Superintendent of the North Central District in the Florida Conference. "Her last will and testament speak to her legacy and values. Every semester, we hear from the (university) president reminding us of who she was and how much she meant to us.
"She demanded excellence and was able to train United Methodist ministers. She was always dedicated to critical thinking and what she could do for the lives of others around her."
Yes, as Dr. McClellan noted, the ripples of Bethune's well-lived life continue today and will last well into the future.
"Mahalia Jackson sang a song that epitomized the life that she lived: To move on up a little higher," she said.
"So, what now?! May the work she's done speak for her. What better place for her statue to stand as she continues to leave us hope."
excerpt from a story Joe Henderson, News Content Editor for flumc.org
One of seven apportioned giving opportunities of The United Methodist Church, the Black College Fund provides financial support to maintain solid, challenging academic programs; strong faculties; and well-equipped facilities at 11 United Methodist-related historically black colleges and universities. Please encourage your leaders and congregations to support the Black College Fund apportionment at 100 percent.
