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Mary was one of 17 children born into freed slaves living in poverty and she was the only child to attend school.
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She began attending a school opened by a local missionary. She remained at Miss Wilson's school until she received a scholarship in 1887 to Scotia Seminary.
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McLeod entered Scotia Seminary in North Carolina. She would remain there for six years. She graduated from Scotia Seminary in 1893.
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Mary McLeod studied at the Moody Bible Institute in Chicago.Between 1893 and 1895
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Having completed her education, McLeod worked in small schools for African American girls.
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Mary McLeod married fellow teacher Albertus Bethune in 1898.They had one son together in 1899 and got divorced in 1907.
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Bethune recognized the value of education. She began her school with only five students, but it grew to 250 students over the coming years.
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In 1912, the first of Mary McLeod Bethune's students completed 8th grade in her school.
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Bethune was elected President of the National Association of Colored Women's Clubs. This is her first significant role in the civil rights movement.
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Around 1925, Bethune's school merged with the Cookman College for Men. Bethune retained a leadership role in the combined institution. The merge may have occurred as early as 1923 or as late as 1929. She remained with the college until 1942.
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With a growing role political role, Bethune became a special advisor on minority issues. She became especially close to Franklin D. Roosevelt's wife Eleanor. The two women remained friends for many years.
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Bethune founded the National Council of Negro Women, taking on a more significant political role in the burgeoning civil rights movement.
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Bethune was appointed to serve as director of the Division of Negro Affairs. She was particularly concerned with job and educational opportunities for African Americans.
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After she stepped down from her administrative role in Bethune-Cookman College, Bethune moved to Washington D.C. She spent the next few years living in the National Council of Negro Women headquarters.
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Bethune served on a committee for National Defense and was sent as a U.S. delegate to Liberia.
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After a brief period of retirement, Bethune died in 1955 in Florida. Her last will and testament strongly stressed the importance of education for African Americans and women.
