Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune as we all know was an educator, philanthropist, humanitarian and founder of Bethune Cookman University. She raised money, motivated and inspired many students while she was alive and even today. I spent many hours in her home (Mary McLeod Bethune Foundation- National Historic Landmark) as a student worker from 1995-1998 and I assumed I learned everything about Dr. Bethune. However; through my recent conversations with Dr. Ashley Robertson Preston, Director & Curator at the Bethune Foundation, there were some interesting facts that I was privy to learning. Check out these five unknown facts:
Smothered chicken wings and grits was one of her favorite meals.
Her best friend was a fellow educator by the name of Charlotte Hawkins Brown.
From left to right, Nannie Helen Burroughs, Charlotte Hawkins Brown and Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune
She loved football! She would attend the games in her finest attire.
She was about 10 years old when she officially started school.
The cabin where Dr. Bethune was born, July 10, 1875 in Mayseville, South Carolina.
Jada Wright-Greene is a museum activist, writer, independent museum professional and a lover of history. She is the self-proclaimed African American Museum Activist. She has a passion for revitalizing and bringing awareness to the African-American museum culture with a goal of diversifying the museum profession. Jada is the Founder & President of Heritage Salon, a nonprofit and magazine devoted to African-American museums, historic sites/homes and cultural institutions. She has served as a keynote speaker, panelist and lecturer on the topic of arts education, museums and diversity throughout the United States. Jada is an avid writer and recently became a contributor for Huffington Post. She has written for several blogs, magazines and publications including; Black Southern Belle and the American Alliance of Museums Center for Museums Education blog. In the Fall of 2016, she was a guest lecturer at Harvard Extension School where she shared her expertise on African American museums. Jada earned a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Bethune-Cookman University, a Master’s degree from Michigan State University in Urban & Regional Planning and a certificate in Museum Studies, where she was the first African American to complete the Museum Studies program. Finally, she earned dual Masters degrees from Johns Hopkins University in Museum Studies and Nonprofit Management.
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