Quote by Mary McLeod Bethune: “The true worth of a race must be measured by the character of its womanhood.”

Bethune believed that the strength and moral fiber of a society or group of people were best judged by the integrity, achievements, and contributions of its women. She saw women as the foundational pillars of progress.

Throughout her leadership of the National Council of Negro Women (founded 1935), Bethune championed the dignity and strength of Black women. This perspective was crucial in challenging prevailing racist and sexist attitudes during an era of profound social inequality in the United States.

American educator and civil rights leader who founded the Daytona Educational and Industrial Training School for Negro Girls in 1904, which eventually became Bethune-Cookman University. She served as an advisor to President Franklin D. Roosevelt and founded the National Council of Negro Women in 1935, and was one of the most influential Black women in American public life of the twentieth century.