Mary McLeod Bethune statue unveiling: Daytona residents watch at Bethune-Cookman event

DAYTONA BEACH — In the final moments before the unveiling of the historic marble statue of Mary McLeod Bethune about 800 miles away in Statuary Hall at the U.S. Capitol, one could’ve heard a pin drop in the expectant silence of those gathered for the milestone at the university she founded.

At the Mary McLeod Bethune Performing Arts Center at Bethune-Cookman University, hundreds of cellphones were poised to capture the moment on three mammoth video screens showing a live-steam of the Wednesday ceremony from Washington, D.C.

In the auditorium, the crowd witnessed the milestone with an outpouring of hometown pride.

When the towering likeness was revealed, the audience exploded in celebratory shouts and thunderous applause that culminated in a standing ovation.  On a day when Bethune was honored with soaring accolades from the nation’s top political leaders, the reverence of the hometown audience easily matched or exceeded that appreciation.

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“I wouldn’t miss the opportunity to be on the ground at Bethune-Cookman University for this unveiling,” said Carolyn Parker, 78, a 1967 Bethune-Cookman graduate and retired English teacher at Mainland High School in Daytona Beach. She was among many who arrived at the campus more than an hour before the 11 a.m. ceremony started.

“It’s so important for me to be here,” said Parker, who spent 31 years as an educator, a career she was inspired to pursue because of Mary McLeod Bethune’s influence. “I grew up in Ormond Beach and I saw Dr. Bethune in person before she died, at Peabody Auditorium.

“Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune means the world to me,” Parker said. “Without this college at this location, I would never have had the opportunity to experience higher education. I’ll be forever grateful to Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune.”

Young and old, enthusiastic hometown crowd watches statue unveiling

Around her, the crowd that arrived for the watch party offered a glimpse of the diverse appeal of Bethune’s work as a civil rights pioneer and champion for Black women’s advancement.

Young. Old. White. Black. Alumni and current B-CU students.

All were united in an understanding of the importance of the milestone.

The younger generation was enthusiastically represented by at least two large contingents of elementary and high-school students, adorned in matching T-shirts and prone to shouting upbeat slogans as they posed for pictures with Bethune’s statue before the event in the auditorium’s courtyard.

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One of the groups, representing the Baton Rouge Community College Trio Upward Bound college prep program, had traveled from Louisiana for a campus tour that just happened to coincide with the historic dedication of Bethune’s statue in Washington, D.C.

“This can be an inspiration to let them know that anything is possible,” sad Donta Mills, 38, the program’s assistant director. “It lets them know that the tiny things they do can have a grand effect.”

Nearby, another group of roughly 100 students representing a summer program operated by Catalyst Global Youth Initiatives in Daytona Beach, awaited their turn for a commemorative photo.

“It’s a truly important moment,” said Sharon Brown, the program director supervising the group of 5th-9th grade students. “It’s the perfect way for us to show them how important education is.”

The fact that Bethune left the legacy of her university in Daytona Beach makes the occasion more special, Brown said.

“That she did this right in our hometown really makes it more meaningful,” she said. “People are watching this all over the world and we have it (the university) right here. It makes us proud.”

Historic addition to Statuary Hall

Following Wednesday's unveiling, the Bethune statue will be one of the two statues representing Florida in the Capitol, replacing a nearly 100-year-old bronze sculpture of Confederate General Edmund Kirby Smith.

Bethune's statue will be the first representing a Black person, male or female, in the state collection inside Statuary Hall. There are four other Black people represented in other parts of the Capitol: Martin Luther King Jr., Frederick Douglass, Sojourner Truth and Rosa Parks.

Ahead of Wednesday’s dedication, Lawrence M. Drake II, B-CU’s interim president, called the milestone a “pivotal moment” in the history of the university that she founded, a sentiment he echoed in his pre-recorded comments that were part of a 30-minute program that preceded the dedication itself.

Others who offered pre-recorded remarks to preface the dedication ceremony included Daytona Beach Mayor Derrick Henry; Betsey Hardemon, of B-CU’s Women’s Advisory Board; and Thelma T. Daley, of the National Council of Negro Women.

The Daytona Beach program also featured Bethune-Cookman associate professor Carla Lester in a reading of the Maya Angelou poem “Phenomenal Woman.”

Its rousing conclusion — including the couplets “Now you understand/ Just why my head’s not bowed/  I don’t shout or jump about/ Or have to talk real loud" — inspired yet another explosion of applause.

'Shed the light of her work throughout the world'

The Daytona Beach audience also cheered at different points as the ceremony unfolded on the TV screens from Washington, D.C.

There, Bethune’s legacy was extolled by speakers that ranged from hometown civic leaders such as Nancy Lohman, president of the Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune Statuary Fund, to U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, U.S. Rep Frederica Wilson (D-FL), U.S. Rep. Val Demings (D-FL), U.S. Rep. Michael Waltz and Sen. Marco Rubio.

In Daytona Beach, meanwhile, the auditorium crowd also included Daytona Beach City Commissioners Ruth Trager and Quanita May, as well as Daytona Beach City Manager Deric C. Feacher and retired Circuit Judge Hubert Grimes, a former interim president of the university.

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“This is a very historic day,” Feacher said, “not only for Bethune-Cookman University, but for the city of Daytona Beach and for the world. Dr. Bethune’s legacy now will help to shape the minds of those who may not have heard of her or heard of the university or what Daytona Beach has to offer.

“Our duty is to make sure to shed the light of her work throughout the world.”

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Mary McLeod Bethune statue unveiling sparks hometown pride in Daytona Beach