HISTORY This Week They Saw What the United Nations Couldn’t
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Oct 20, 2025 Keisha Blain, a professor of Africana Studies and History, dives into the pivotal roles of Mary McLeod Bethune and Marguerite Cartwright in early United Nations history. They discuss Bethune's unique position as the only Black woman in the U.S. delegation and her efforts to confront colonialism within the UN Charter. Blain highlights how both women connected U.S. civil rights to global struggles, reframing our understanding of human rights and activism beyond national borders.
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Human Rights Need Anti-Colonial Action
- Mary McLeod Bethune insisted the UN must confront colonialism and racism to make human rights real.
- She argued human rights language is hollow without addressing imperial rule and global racial inequality.
From Cotton Fields To University Founder
- Mary McLeod Bethune rose from picking cotton to founding a school and later Bethune-Cookman University.
- She built a major educational institution from six students using homemade ink and crate furniture.
Influence Through White House Ties
- Bethune leveraged friendships with Eleanor Roosevelt and FDR to gain influence in Washington.
- She became head of the Office of Minority Affairs and the highest-paid Black American in government at the time.
