Her school grew over the years until 1923 when it merged with Cookman Institute, a school for boys. The merged schools became known as Bethune-Cookman College and continued to be located in Daytona Beach where it is in operation today.
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Bethune was active in the fight against racism and served under several Presidents as a member of the unofficial African American "brain trust." In 1936 she was appointed by President Roosevelt as the director of the National Youth Administration's Division of Negro Affairs. She also founded the National Council of Negro Women and was an active member of the National Association of Colored Women. Bethune died in May 1955.
A statue of Bethune was erected in Lincoln Park in Washington, D.C. In 1985, Bethune was recognized as one of the most influential African-American women in the country with a postage stamp issued in her honor.
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L-R: Harry S. Truman; Mary McLeod Bethune; Madame Vijaya Pandit, India's ambassador; and Dr. Ralph Bunche of the UN. All are recipients of the citation for outstanding citizeship from the President.
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Mary McLeod Bethune entering the White House, when a white guard addressed her as "auntie." She stopped and asked him in her most earnest tone, "Which one of my brothers' children are you?"
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L-R: Son, Albert M. Bethune, Sr.; grandson whom she raised, Albert M. Bethune, Jr.; Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune; niece, George McLeod and her foster son Edward R. Rodriguez.
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