Feature – ONYX Magazine travels to D.C. for statue unveiling

UNVEILED

DR. MARY MCLEOD-BETHUNE’S STATUE GRACES STATUARY HALL

America’s story shifted on July 13 when members of congress unveiled a statue commemorating world-renowned Florida educator, pioneer and activist Mary McLeod Bethune at the U.S. Capitol’s Statuary Hall. Bethune’s statue now represents Florida, making her the first Black person selected by a state for National Statuary Hall. ONYX Magazine was there to witness the significant event.

“This was the most important event I’ve ever experienced in my life,” said ONYX Magazine Publisher Rich Black. “This is an opportunity that America can really celebrate our diversity and inclusion. This was a great day.”

The statue of Bethune represents her passion for education and admiration for people. The sculpture depicts Bethune with a stack of books, a graduation cap and gown, a cane, a black rose, and the subtle smile she was known for. She towers above a marble slab engraved with the state of Florida, her full name, her birth and death dates and a quote of hers that captures her essence: “Invest in the human soul, who knows, it may be a diamond in the rough.”

With one tug of a black sleek covering, history changed forever. When it slipped down from her 11-foot, three-ton frame, the audience marveled and exploded with applause, knowing her liking was replacing that of Edmund Kirby Smith, a Confederate general who stood there before her. The statue, created from the last piece of statuario marble taken from Michelangelo’s cave in Italy, was crafted by Nilda Comas, the first Hispanic American woman to sculpt a piece for Statuary Hall.

“This was a powerful and proud moment that will never happen again,” said Dee Parker, ONYX Magazine’s vice president and events chair.

A once-in-a-lifetime event, indeed. However, Congresswoman Frederica Wilson, D-Miami Gardens, recalled a memory in her remarks of an earlier Bethune statue unveiling. Wilson says the experience demonstrated the true force of nature Bethune really was.

“In 2004, I was so ecstatic and honored to serve as an honorary co-chair for the fundraising and unveiling of the Mary McLeod-Bethune statue on the campus of (University) with Rich Black and Harry Rosen,” she said. “What happened on that day was an out-of-body experience for me. It is a story I will tell for as long as I can.”

She recalls the unveiling ceremony was running late because the day also commemorated the new president’s convocation and the university’s 100th year. She stepped outside to view engravings around the statue. As the clock struck noon, and right on schedule, the sky grew dark and a Black and Parker with MMB statue

Dee Parker, Rich Black, Frederica Wilson, Vince Evans

First Lady Jill Biden, President Joe Biden, VP Kamala Harris Dee Parker, VP Kamala Harris, Rich Black

Dee Parker, Rich Black, Dr. Jill Biden

mighty wind rolled in snatching the burgundy velvet cloth from the immaculate towering statue of Bethune with only Wilson and Bethune’s grandson, Albert Bethune, to see it. Albert Bethune turned to Wilson and mused, “You know, Mama never liked things being late.” Just as the staff gathered the cloth, the convocation ended and the audience burst out the doors with the choir singing “Glory, Glory, Hallelujah, His truth is marching on!”

Bethune was an avid activist and educator who was committed to advancing civil rights for all, with a focus on Black Americans, women, people in colonized nations and children. With $1.50, she opened a school for young Black women, which is now the 117-year-old Bethune-Cookman University in Daytona, Fla. She was an advocate for women’s suffrage years before the ratification of the 19th Amendment and advocated for civil rights long before the Civil Rights Movement. Her ambition and dedication to change landed her a role as an adviser to five U.S. presidents and a seat at the founding of the United Nations.

THE D.C. EXPERIENCE

Ahead of the MMB unveiling, Rich Black and Dee Parker joined Rep. Wilson at President Joe Biden’s annual congressional picnic on the White House lawn. There, they met Vice President Kamala Harris, First Lady Jill Biden, Ph.D., and a host of other important movers and shakers on the political scene. They also attended a formal reception to honor Bethune.