The reason I chose to research Mary McLeod Bethune was because her accomplishments astonish me. Living in the late 1800’s/early 1900’s could not have been easy for a black women living in the South. Mary was committed, intelligent, and kind. Her actions had a very deep impact on the way we value education in our society. By herself, she strove to provide education especially for African American girls, who were in the minority. She had learned from her own experiences living in the minority of society, and tried to benefit others from of her knowledge.
I Love learning about the education system in America, and how it is being altered and tweaked everyday. And, I also love learning about women who were activists and fought for their rights and values. Mary was an educator, but was also a strong leader of women. At the turn of the century, our nation needed intelligent strong-minded women to step up and represent the ideas of the minority, and that’s exactly what Mary Bethune did. She came from very modest means and worked her way up to the top, also being appointed and recognized by the President of the United States.
I chose Mary because I admire her perseverance and humility. I admire how she had bake sales to raise funds to expand the school she founded for young African American girls in Florida. Even though she didn’t have two pennies to rub together, she always found a way to provide for the people she served and cared about.
The last reason I chose Mary Bethune is because she comes from a different backround than I do. She is an African American woman from a southern farm. I am a white girl from Philadelphia. We have very little in common based on what we have and look like. I wanted to study someone is and was very little like who I am, so I can catch a glimpse of a different angle of pursuing the American Dream. I am able to see America through the eyes of someone and something I wouldn’t normally be accustomed to.