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| Photo from biography.com |
You never know where your inspiration
can come from. I often find inspiration and motivation in unexpected places. My
grandfather used to talk about Mrs. Mary McLeod Bethune a lot because she was born
in South Carolina and lived in Florida. My grandfather was born in South
Carolina and grew up in Florida so he saw a connection there. From my history
lessons as a child, I knew that Mrs. Mary McLeod Bethune, a strong woman of faith,
was a child of former slaves who surpassed expectations and opposition to found a college for African American’s now
Bethune-Cookman College, started the National Council for Negro Women, was a
advisor to President Theodore and Mrs. Eleanor Roosevelt in addition to many
other positions and accomplishments. As I pursue my career in Higher Education
Administration I felt a strong pull to learn more about Mrs. Bethune’s life and
how she accomplished all that she had accomplished amongst all of the
challenges and opposition she faced as a woman and African American living in
the late 1800s/ early 1900s. As I read “Mary McLeod Bethune” by Catherine
Owens Peare there were some lessons that stuck with me that I wanted to share
with you.
1.
Learn and Experience then Pay it Forward
As I read
about Mrs. Bethune’s childhood I learned of her determination to learn how to
read. She was not content until she knew how to read and write. When she was
afforded the opportunity to attend school she took full advantage of the
opportunity to learn how to read and write she taught others in her family
and community how to read and write as well. She used all that she learned and
paid it forward. This is a lesson that we all should remind ourselves of from
time to time. We do not learn and experience all of the things that we do just
for our pleasure and satisfaction alone. We must then pay it forward and share
that which we have learned and experience with others who may benefit from it
as well. That is one of the reasons why I started this blog, to share my
knowledge and experiences with studying abroad, learning languages, culture,
etc. with others to inspire and encourage them to take similar opportunities as
the opportunities present themselves. Thus as we continue learn and experience
new things we must continuously pay it forward by sharing and
teaching what we have learned.
2. Stay
Steadfast in your Faith
Mrs.
Bethune
approached everything that she did with faith. Although she had an
extreme uphill battle to start and maintain a school for African
American girls with little
to no money, in time where Jim Crow was the norm and educating Black
children
was far less than a priority, and her being of color herself, Mrs.
Bethune had
faith in God, in herself and in the vision He gave her to educate her
people
would indeed become a reality. She exercised her faith by doing what was
right
in front of her at the time and meeting the needs of her students.
Regardless
of the opposition that she faced from her own people scared that she
would stir
up trouble to the opposition of white Americans who did not want to a
school black children she used her faith to start and grow her school
that still
educates students both male and female of all colors, nationalities, and
economic backgrounds today. Mrs. Bethune let nothing stand in the way of
her vision of educating her people. Instead her faith allowed her
vision grow larger than what most many could have fathomed.
3.
Your Passion will open doors that you
often don’t realize will be there.
Mrs.
Mary McLeod Bethune had a vision as a
child to learn how to read. As she learned from and gained an
appreciation for
her teachers she realized that she too wanted to be an educator. Her
passion
was to help her people to better themselves and she knew that education
was a
strong vehicle to do so. I am sure that she had no idea of all of the
doors
that would open as she set out to learn how to read, pursued her goal to
become
a teacher, and started her own school that grew into a college. Not only
did
she accomplish the goals just mentioned, but as she pursued her passion
of
helping her people through education she became an advisor to President
Theodore Roosevelt and Former First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt. She also
traveled
all over the United States and Internationally speaking about education,
civil
and women’s rights and equality. By following her passion, Mrs. Bethune
not
only gained the respect from her peers, the admiration and
influence from the President and the First Lady of the United States but
she also gained the respect from many who at one time were opposed of
her just for the color of her skin.
4.
Traveling opens the mind and reinvigorates the soul.
Mrs. Bethune traveled across the
country with various organizations that she lead and/ or was a part of such as
the National Council of Negro Women, the National Urban League, and National
Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). She also traveled
internationally to Haiti, Italy, Switzerland, France, Belgium, England and
other European Countries. Her travels gave her a broader understanding of the
world, allowed her to see new sights and meet some amazing people including the
Pope during her visit to Rome. Mrs. Bethune experiences abroad widened
her vision and outlook as well as invigorated her drive to continue her
life’s work of education and humanitarianism.
Learning more about Mrs. Bethune’s
life increased my motivation to continue to live out my motto to be a blessing to
others for I have been blessed by the efforts of Mrs. Bethune and all those who
have come before me. I have been blessed by all the teachers and professors who
have poured their knowledge into me. I have been blessed to have traveled and
seen many parts of the world thus I am blessed to share those experiences and
encourage others to travel abroad as well. I have also been blessed by you, yes
you who take the time to read this blog. You are helping me to accomplish
my goal of spreading the message of inspiring and encouraging others to travel,
learn languages, and to explore cultures near and far. Thus I thank Mrs. Mary McLeod Bethune for her
wisdom, faith and inspiration and I thank you for reading this entry, my blog
in general, and for being a part of my journey.
Thanks for reading!!!
Hasta el proximo vez,
Kory
