Mary McLeod Bethune Building a Better World, Essays and Selected Documents [Paperback]

From this documentary portrait, a talented and multifaceted contributor to the black experience in the 20th century United States emerges. Much is owed to Bethune, and readers gain an appreciation of that debt. Choice

This volume explores the multi-faceted career of Mary McLeod Bethune (18751955) in her roles as stateswoman, politician, educational leader, and social visionary. It offers a unique combination of original documentary sources and analysis of Bethunes life and work. The more than 70 documents, spanning 53 years of Bethunes public life, include letters, memoranda, position papers, newspaper columns, interviews, and speeches. Essays by the editors relate these documents to the phases of Bethunes career.

Contents:

Preface
Acknowledgments
Abbreviations
I. In Pursuit of Unalienable Rights: Mary McLeod Bethune in Historical Perspective (1875-1955)
II. Self-Revelations: Like Bruises on an Oyster (1940-1955)
III. Educational Leadership: The Unfolding of My Soul (1902-1942)
IV. Woman Activism: We Are Being Heard! (1917-1949)
V. Politics and Public Issues: Stateswoman in Washington (1936-1945)
VI. The Last Years: Building a Better World (1951-1955)
Milestones: A Selected Chronology
Sources
Bibliography
Index

AUDREY THOMAS McCLUSKEY is Associate Professor of Afro-American Studies at Indiana University and has had a long association with the National Womens Studies Association. She has published widely on Bethune and other women activists and educators.

ELAINE M. SMITH is on the history faculty at Alabama State University. An authority on Bethune, she provided the introductions to the Guides to the Mary McLeod Bethune Papers.