Mary McLeod Bethune Memorial, (sculpture).

Mary McLeod Bethune Memorial, (sculpture).

Berks, Robert, 1922- , sculptor.

Mary McLeod Bethune Memorial, (sculpture).

1973. Dedicated July 10, 1974.

Digital Reference:

Sculpture: bronze; Base: aggregate concrete with bronze plaques.

Sculpture: approx. 10 x 15.5 x 9 ft.; Base: approx. 5 ft. 5 in. x 25 ft. x 20 ft.

(Front bottom of Bethune's dress:) (copyright symbol)/73/Berks (Front of base:) MARY McLEOD BETHUNE/1875 1955 (Front of base, in script:) Let her works praise her (Bronze plaque, front of base:) ERECTED/JULY 10, 1974/BY THE/NATIONAL COUNCIL OF NEGRO WOMEN, INC./DOROTHY I. HEIGHT/PRESIDENT (Bronze plaque running around sides of base:) I LEAVE YOU LOVE. I LEAVE YOU HOPE. I LEAVE YOU THE CHALLENGE OF DEVELOPING CONFIDENCE IN ONE ANOTHER. I LEAVE YOU A THIRST FOR EDUCATION. I LEAVE YOU A RESPECT FOR THE USE OF POWER. I LEAVE YOU FAITH. I LEAVE YOU RACIAL DIGNITY. I LEAVE YOU A DESIRE TO LIVE HARMONIOUSLY WITH YOUR FELLOW MEN. I LEAVE YOU FINALLY, A RESPONSIBILITY TO OUR YOUNG PEOPLE./Mary McLeod Bethune (in script)

A portrait of an elderly Mary McLeod Bethune standing beside a young African-American girl and boy. In her proper right hand, she holds a cane given to her by Franklin Roosevelt. She holds a scroll in her proper left hand and extends it toward the two young children. The scroll represents her legacy of learning which she is passing on to the children. The young girl and boy look toward Bethune and extend their arms toward her. The three figures are installed on a hexagonal-shaped base that rests on a low oval base.

Portrait female -- Bethune, Mary McLeod -- Full length

Occupation -- Education -- Teacher

Ethnic -- African American

Object -- Written Matter -- Scroll

Outdoor Sculpture -- District of Columbia -- Washington

Administered by United States Department of the Interior, National Park Service, Washington, District of Columbia

Located Lincoln Park, East Capitol & 12th Streets, N.E., Washington, District of Columbia

Mary McLeod Bethune (1875-1955) parents were enslaved individuals in South Carolina and went on to become leading black educators. She founded and served as president of Bethune-Cookman College in Daytona Beach, FL. In 1935, she founded the National Council of Negro Women. She also served as special adviser to four presidents from Herbert Hoover to Franklin Roosevelt, who in 1935, appointed her Director of Negro Affairs for his National Youth Administration. The memorial was funded by the National Council of Negro Women who raised the 150,000 dollars needed over a period of thirteen years. According to the National Council of Negro Women, this memorial is the first honoring an African American in the District of Columbia. A quote from Bethune's legacy appears on the base. IAS files contain related articles from the Washington Post, July 10, 1974, pg. C1, C15; Washington Post, July 11, 1974, pg. B1; and New York Times, July 11, 1974 which describe the dedication ceremony and events in detail. The 1974 Goode publication contains an image of a model for the memorial.

Save Outdoor Sculpture, District of Columbia survey, 1993.

Index of American Sculpture, University of Delaware, 1985.

Goode, James M., "The Outdoor Sculpture of Washington, D.C., A Comprehensive Historical Guide," Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press, 1974, pg. 87-88.

SOS Conservation Treatment Award, 1998.

Goode, James M., "Washington Sculpture: A Cultural History of Outdoor Sculpture in the Nation's Capitol," Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2008, no. 1.39.

Washington Post, July 10, 1974, pg. C15.

Goode, James M., "Washington Sculpture: A Cultural History of Outdoor Sculpture in the Nation's Capitol," Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2008, no. 1.39.

The information provided about this artwork was compiled as part of the Smithsonian American Art Museum's Inventories of American Painting and Sculpture database, designed to provide descriptive and location information on artworks by American artists in public and private collections worldwide.

Inventories of American Painting and Sculpture, Smithsonian American Art Museum, P.O. Box 37012, MRC 970, Washington, D.C. 20013-7012

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