Chapter 1: Mary McLeod Bethunes Fundraising Success: Implications for Contemporary Presidents of Historically Black Colleges and Universities

Educator, political activist and organizer, national spokeswoman, and educational leader Mary McLeod Bethune (1875-1955) remains one of the most prominent figures in African American and women’s history. Bethune devoted her life to the ideals of justice and equal citizenship. Her countless contributions to the educational, social, economic, and political advancement of African Americans and women are still prevalent, as the institution she created over 100 years ago (The Daytona Educational and Industrial School for Negro Girls, now Bethune-Cookman University) still serves as an educational home to thousands of students and living alumni. Throughout her lifetime, Bethune demonstrated an unswerving commitment to the value of education, as well as the wise and consistent use of political power in striving for racial and gender equity. The enactment of these principles helped her emerge as one of the most powerful African Americans in the nation for more than a quarter century.