Program from the dedication of the Mary McLeod Bethune Memorial: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

Program from the 1974 dedication of the Mary McLeod Bethune Memorial in Lincoln Park, Washington DC. The program consists of four pages printed on a single page of heavy card stock, folded in half on its longer side. The card stock is cream colored and all print is blue. The cover features an image of the memorial on its upper half with the words [Theme: Live the Legacy] directly below. The bottom half of the cover contains the text [DEDICATION CEREMONIES / of the / Mary McLeod Bethune Memorial / LINCOLN PARK / WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA / JULY 10, 1974]. The left page of the program's interior shows a photograph of Bethune seen from the shoulders up, with the United States Capitol dome visible behind her. To the right of the photograph is a quote from Bethune's "Last Will and Testament" prayer/poem. Below the photograph and quote is a short biography of Bethune's life. A list of distinguished guests attending the dedication and their titles and/or institutional affiliations appears at the bottom of the page. The right page of the program's interior lists the order of events for the ceremony and the indviduals participating in each section. The back cover of the program contains a long list of sponsoring organizations, arranged alphabetically in two columns. A "special note" at the bottom of the page provides a short biography of sculptor Robert Berks who created the memorial's three figures.

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: July 10, 1974
• Commissioned by: National Council of Negro Women, American, founded 1935
• Produced by: National Park Service, American, founded 1916
• Produced by: US Department of the Interior, American, founded 1849
• Subject of: Mary McLeod Bethune, American, 1875 - 1955
• Subject of: Mary McLeod Bethune Memorial, American, dedicated 1974
• Subject of: J. Max Bond Jr., American, 1935 - 2009
• Subject of: Robert Berks, American, 1922 - 2011
• Subject of: Ronald H. Walker, American, born 1937
• Type: programs
• Medium: colored ink on card stock
• Dimensions: H x W (folded): 9 3/4 × 7 1/4 in. (24.8 × 18.4 cm)
• Dimensions: H x W (unfolded): 9 3/4 × 14 1/2 in. (24.8 × 36.8 cm)
• Place depicted: Lincoln Park, Washington, District of Columbia, United States, North and Central America
• Topic: African American
• Topic: Civil Rights
• Topic: Education
• Topic: Humanitarianism
• Topic: Race relations
• Topic: Social reform
• Topic: Women
• Topic: Women's organizations
• Object number: 2024.110.2.1
• Credit Line: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture
• Data Source: National Museum of African American History and Culture

Sources and reuse

Catalogue descriptions and facts adapted from National Museum of African American History and Culture through the Smithsonian's official Open Access dataset. This record explicitly marks its metadata CC0 1.0; formatting and selection have been changed. The underlying object's rights statement is: Unknown - Restrictions Possible Rights assessment and proper usage is the responsibility of the user.