Mary McLeod Bethune was born on July 10, 1875 in Mayesville, South Carolina. She was the fifteenth child of former slaves. Recognizing the need for a well-rounded education for Blacks, Mary Bethune was instrumental in founding the Daytona Literary and Industrial School For Training Negro Girls, which later became Bethune-Cookman College.

Bethune had an impact on women�s issues in her role as special assistant to the secretary of war, establishing the Women�s Army Corps in 1945. Bethune was important in establishing the role of Black women in the effort to participate fully and equally in "the building of an ideal country." She was active in the National Association of Colored Women and founded the National Council of Negro Women.