Mary McLeod Bethune

Mary McLeod Bethune arrived in Daytona, Florida, in 1904 with $1.50 and a determination to build a school for Black children. That dream became Bethune-Cookman College, but the archive reveals so much more. She served as President of the National Association of Teachers in Colored Schools and the Florida State Teachers Association, and was a leader in organizations that served Black communities across the US and the African Diaspora. But Bethune didn't build alone. The educators, librarians, and women's organizations with whom she partnered are also documented here. The BTA helps us appreciate Bethune’s legacy within the extensive network to which she belonged.

Here is a curated selection of her name mentioned in the collection.