Mary McLeod Bethune was an influential African American educator, civil rights activist, and government official. She was born in 1875 in South Carolina to parents who had been enslaved. Despite facing numerous obstacles, Bethune was determined to get an education and attended Scotia Seminary (now Barber-Scotia College) and Moody Bible Institute.

In 1904, Bethune founded the Daytona Educational and Industrial Training School for Negro Girls in Daytona Beach, Florida, which later merged with the Cookman Institute for Men to become Bethune-Cookman College. She was a firm believer in the power of education to uplift African Americans and fought tirelessly for equal educational opportunities.

Bethune was a key figure in the civil rights and women's rights movements. She was a close adviser to President Franklin D. Roosevelt and served as the director of the Office of Minority Affairs in the National Youth Administration, making her the highest-ranking African American woman in the federal government at the time.

Throughout her life, Mary McLeod Bethune remained a prominent and influential advocate for racial equality and social justice. She was a founding member of the National Council of Negro Women and worked to advance civil rights through education and activism. Bethune's legacy continues to inspire generations of Black Americans to fight for equality and justice.