Today we celebrate the birthday of Mary McLeod Bethune, an educator, organizer, institution builder, and one of the most influential Black leaders in our nation’s history.

Mary McLeod Bethune believed that Black women and girls deserved access to education, opportunity, and the power to shape their own futures. She founded schools, advised presidents, organized alongside Black women leaders, and helped build institutions that expanded political and economic opportunity for Black communities. Her work reminds us that lasting change is built through vision, organization, and a deep commitment to community. The pathways she helped create continue to influence generations of Black women leaders, organizers, educators, and advocates. As we honor her life and legacy, we celebrate the enduring impact of her work and the generations of Black women, girls, and gender-expansive people who continue building on the foundation she helped lay. Happy Heavenly Birthday, #MaryMcLeodBethune.