Mary McLeod Bethune Statue in Jersey City

At the entrance to the park that bears her name stands a 9-foot-tall statue of the educator and civil rights activist Mary McLeod Bethune.

Bethune (1875-1955) was the 15th of 17 children born to former slaves in South Carolina and the first to attend school. Believing that equality in education is the foundation of equality in all other fields, she founded a school for black girls in Daytona Beach, Florida, in 1904. The school started with six girls and achieved in 1941 a full college status as the Bethune-Cookman College.

Over the years, she founded schools and organizations all over the country, promoting women’s rights, education, and equality. She served as the president of several of them, such as the National Association of Colored Women and the National Council of Negro Women. She was the Director of the Division of Negro Affairs and a member of the Black Cabinet under President Roosevelt.

Her statue was the first statue of an African-American woman in the city and was unveiled on November 20, 2021. The artist, Alvin Pettit, visited many of her monuments. Noticing she was depicted mostly as an older woman, he decided to portray her as a young woman at the beginning of her activism journey. The sculpture presents a moment in her life when she held a book, and someone told her this book was not for her. It depicts her standing tall, a determined look on her face, gazing at the Bethune Community Center, located across the street, holding a book as if she is holding on to education.

The plaque reads:
DR. MARY McLEOD BETHUNE
JULY 10TH, 1875 – MAY 18TH, 1955
EDUCATOR * STATEWOMEN * ACTIVIST * ENTREPRENEUR
“IF WE HAVE THE COURAGE AND TENACITY OF OUR
FOREBEARS WHO STOOD FIRMLY LIKE A ROCK AGAINST
THE LASH OF SLAVERY, WE SHALL FIND A WAY TO DO
FOR OUR DAY WHAT THEY DID FOR THEIRS.”
DEDICATED BY THE CITY OF
JERSEY CITY 2021
SCULPTOR: ALVIN D. PETTIT

Three miles away from the Mary McLeod Bethune Park are Liberty Park and Statue Cruises Departure to visit the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island.

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