Mary McLeod Bethune: A Life of Resourcefulness (Pull Ahead Books)

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by Kristin Sterling

d Lerner Publications Company • Minneapolis

Photo Acknowledgments The photographs in this book are reproduced with the permission of: Florida State Archives, pp. 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 18, 19, 20, 21, 25; Library of Congress (LC-USZ62-78481), p. 9; © Hulton Archive/Getty Images, p. 22; © Bettmann/CORBIS, p. 24; © Gordon Parks/Hulton Archive/Getty Images, p. 26. Front cover: Florida State Archives

Text copyright © 2008 by Lerner Publishing Group, Inc. All rights reserved. International copyright secured. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise—without the prior written permission of Lerner Publishing Group, Inc., except for the inclusion of brief quotations in an acknowledged review. Lerner Publications Company A division of Lerner Publishing Group, Inc. 241 First Avenue North Minneapolis, MN 55401 U.S.A. Website address: www.lernerbooks.com Words in bold type are explained in a glossary on page 31.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Sterling, Kristin. Mary McLeod Bethune : a life of resourcefulness / by Kristin Sterling. p. cm. — (Pull ahead books. Biographies) Includes index. ISBN 978–0–8225–8588–6 (lib. bdg. : alk. paper) 1. Bethune, Mary McLeod, 1875–1955—Juvenile literature. 2. Resourcefulness—Juvenile literature. 3. African American women political activists—Biography—Juvenile literature. 4. African American women educators—Biography—Juvenile literature. 5. African American women social reformers— Biography—Juvenile literature. 6. African Americans—Biography—Juvenile literature. 7. African Americans—Civil rights—History—20th century—Juvenile literature. I. Title. E185.97.B34S74 2008 370.92--dc22 [B] 2007025131 Manufactured in the United States of America 1 2 3 4 5 6 – JR – 13 12 11 10 09 08

eISBN-13: 978-0-7613-4031-7

Table of Contents No Ink? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 A Resourceful Student

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A Resourceful Teacher

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11

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17

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23

A Resourceful Leader Mary Takes a Stand

A Life of Resourcefulness Bethune Timeline

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27

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28

More about Bethune Websites

7

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30

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30

Glossary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 Index

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32

Mary McLeod Bethune in the early 1900s

4

No Ink? Mary McLeod Bethune had a problem. Her students did not have any ink for their pens! Mary crushed berries, and her students wrote with the juice. Mary was good at finding ways to solve problems. Her resourcefulness made her a famous teacher and leader.

5

Mary was born in this cabin in South Carolina. Her sisters, Rachel and Maria, stand in front of the cabin.

6

A Resourceful Student Mary McLeod was born in South Carolina in 1875. She was the fifteenth child in her family. Her parents had been slaves.

7

Mary was the first person in her family to go to school. She went to a school for African American children.

Mary’s parents, Samuel and Patsy McIntosh McLeod

8

Mary went to a school like this one.

Mary was a very good student. She knew education would help her have a better life. 9

Mary as a young woman

10

A Resourceful Teacher Mary went to college. Then she became a teacher. There were not many schools for African Americans at that time. Mary started her own school for African American girls.

11

Mary was a good teacher.

Mary started the school in a little house. Five young girls were her only students. 12

Mary did not have money to buy supplies. Her students used boxes for desks.

Mary’s school grew quickly.

13

Mary worked hard to raise money for the school. She planned concerts and held bake sales.

Students learn how to do laundry.

14

Mary had to raise money for her school.

She talked to wealthy people. Some people were mean to her. Others gave her money for the school. 15

Mary had to get more space for her school.

16

A Resourceful Leader Mary could do a lot with a little. She did not waste money or resources. She used them to make her school a better place.

17

Mary’s school changed over the years. It started with classes for young girls.

These students are learning sewing and needlework.

18

These students are in a cooking class.

Mary’s students got older. She added high school classes. She also added job training programs. 19

This school building is called Faith Hall.

In 1923, Mary’s school combined with Cookman Institute. This was a college for men. The new school was named Bethune-Cookman College. 20

Mary was the president of the college.

Mary was a good college president.

21

Mary in front of the U.S. Capitol

22

Mary Takes a Stand Mary thought all people should have the right to learn. At this time, black people did not have the same rights as white people. For example, many black children could not go to the same schools as white children. Mary wanted to help solve this problem.

23

Mary talked to big groups of people about equal rights for black people. She even talked to the president of the United States!

Mary speaks about equal rights to a huge crowd of people.

24

First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt (left) visits Mary’s college.

President Franklin Roosevelt asked Mary to lead a program for African American teenagers and young adults. She helped them to find good jobs. 25

Mary works in her office.

26

A Life of Resourcefulness Mary was a resourceful person. She was good at finding ways to solve problems. She was able to make life better for many African Americans.

27

MARY MCLEOD BETHUNE TIMELINE 1875

1898

Mary McLeod is born in South Carolina.

Mary marries Albertus Bethune.

1884 Mary goes to school.

28

1904 Mary starts her own school in Daytona Beach, Florida.

1923 Mary’s school becomes BethuneCookman College.

1955 Mary dies of a heart attack.

1936 Mary begins working for a government agency to help young black people.

29

More about Mary McLeod Bethune

• Mary had one son, Albert. He was also a teacher. 1935, Mary was honored with the Spingarn Medal. •TheInNational Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) awards it for outstanding achievement by a black American.

•

In 1985, a postage stamp was made honoring Mary McLeod Bethune.

Websites Better World Heroes http://betterworldheroes.com/bethune.htm The Florida Memory Project http://www.floridamemory.com/OnlineClassroom/ MaryBethune/photo_page1.cfm White House Dream Team http://www.whitehouse.gov/kids/dreamteam/ marybethune.html

30

Glossary African American: an American who has African ancestors college: a school people can go to after high school resourcefulness: the ability to deal with hard situations and solve problems resources: something that can be used for support or help right: the power to do something wealthy: rich, having a lot of money

31

Index Bethune-Cookman College, 20 birthplace, 7

parents, 7, 8 president of the United States, 24–25

college president, 21 Cookman Institute, 20

resourcefulness, 5, 13–15, 17, 27 Roosevelt, Franklin, 25

education, 8, 9, 11 family, 6, 7, 8, 28, 30 leader of a school, 5, 7–21 leader on black rights, 23–25

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school, 8, 11–12, 14–15, 17–20 speaker, 24 teacher, 5, 11–15

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Do you know . . . • how Mary solved problems? • how Mary made life better for other people? • what Mary did to help African Americans gain equal rights?

Read this book to discover the answers!

PULL AHEAD—BIOGRAPHIES: Abraham Lincoln

Jane Goodall

Rachel Carson

Alexander Graham Bell

Jimmy Carter

Roald Dahl

Lou Gehrig

Robert Fulton

Martin Luther King Jr.

Roberto Clemente

The Dalai Lama Elizabeth Blackwell Galileo Galilei George Washington George Washington Carver Jane Addams

Mary McLeod Bethune Mohandas Gandhi Mother Teresa Nelson Mandela

Rosa Parks Susan B. Anthony Thomas Jefferson William Penn