Majority Whip Clyburn Remarks At The Dedication Of The Mary McLeod Bethune Statue At The U.S. Capitol

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. House Majority Whip James E. Clyburn spoke today at the dedication of the Mary McLeod Bethune statue as part of the National Statuary Hall Collection at the U.S. Capitol:

As Prepared for Delivery

"Hear the words of Mary McLeod Bethune’s Last Will and Testament.

"‘Sometimes I ask myself if I have any other legacy to leave. Truly, my worldly possessions are few. Yet, my experiences have been rich. From them, I have distilled principles and policies in which I believe firmly, for they represent the meaning of my life's work. They are the products of much sweat and sorrow. Perhaps in them there is something of value. So, as my life draws to a close; here, then is my legacy.

"‘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 Jane McLeod attended church-sponsored grade schools in Sumter County (SC) before graduating from Barber Scotia College in Kinston, North Carolina. She returned to Sumter and taught at the grade schools she had attended. She later became a Social Worker in Savannah, Georgia before becoming a teacher in Augusta, GA.

"She returned to Sumter to teach at Kendall Institute and married fellow teacher Albertus Bethune. They subsequently moved to Florida where she found - what is now - Bethune Cookman University, whose 77th Commencement I was honored to Keynote several weeks ago.

"Ms. Bethune was active with the National Council of Colored Women and Girls Clubs but found them to be too docile. Her activism led her to the founding of the National Council of Negro Women currently headed by Dr. Thelma Daley, a graduate of Bowie State University.

"My late mother was a loyal and enthusiastic fan of this trailblazing leader and insisted that I learn everything I could about her. It was partly as a tribute to my mother that lobbied Governor John Carl West to support placing a portrait of Mary McLeod Bethune in the South Carolina State Capitol Building.

"On July 10, 1976, Ms. Bethune became the first black person in South Carolina’s history to be so honored. And thanks to my colleagues in this body and the state of Florida, today she becomes the first black person to have her likeness represent a state in this building.

"We cannot change history and we should not try. Nor should we attempt to revise or distort events with misguided tributes to defenders of human bondage or perpetrators of false theories. Although much work remains to be done, throughout her life Mary McLeod Bethune truly did her part to advance the cause of forming 'a more perfect Union,' and today we are doing our part to honor her last Will and Testament.”