Mary McLeod Bethune was a champion of racial and gender equality.
Now, a new permanent museum exhibit is honoring her many contributions to society.
Born in South Carolina in 1875, Bethune was one of 17 children born to formerly enslaved parents.
Credit:Mona Makela/Courtesy of Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of African American History and Culture
In 1904, she established the Daytona Educational and Industrial Training School for Negro Girls.
The college awarded its first degrees in 1943.
But Bethune’s influence extended beyond education.
Mona Makela/Courtesy of Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of African American History and Culture
In 1924, she was elected president of the National Association of Colored Women.
She died in 1955 and is buried on a mound overlooking Bethune-Cookman University.
