9781422277812

Ridgewood Avenue in Daytona Beach, Florida, circa 1920. When Mary McLeod Bethune arrived in Daytona in 1904, the coastal town—like most places in the South—lacked a school where blacks could receive a formal education. She promptly founded her own institute, and by 1920 it had an enrollment of almost 300 students.

WORDS TO UNDERSTAND caucus —a meeting at which local members of a political party vote for candidates running for office or decide on policy. economic inequality —the unequal distribution of income and opportunity between different groups in society. presidential nomination —the selection by a political party of a candidate to represent the party in a U.S. presidential election. The selection is often done by delegates to the party’s national convention. WORDS TO UNDERSTAND poll tax —a fee that people were required to pay in order to vote. Today this is illegal in the United States. resolute —purposeful, determined, and unwavering. white supremacy —a belief that white people are superior to people of all other races, especially the black race, and should therefore dominate society.

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C I V I L R I GH T S L E A D E R S : MA R Y MC L E OD B E T HUN E