December 1935

Mary McLeod Bethune founded the National Council of Negro Women on December 5, 1935, as an umbrella organization coordinating the work of 28 Black women's organizations with over 800,000 members. Bethune was simultaneously director of Negro Affairs in FDR's National Youth Administration — the highest federal position held by a Black person at that time — and organized the 'Black Cabinet,' an informal network of Black appointees coordinating to fight racial discrimination within New Deal agencies.

Mary McLeod Bethune founded the National Council of Negro Women on December 5, 1935, as an umbrella organization coordinating the work of 28 Black women's organizations with over 800,000 members. Bethune was simultaneously director of Negro Affairs in FDR's National Youth Administration — the highest federal position held by a Black person at that time — and organized the 'Black Cabinet,' an informal network of Black appointees who coordinated to fight racial discrimination within New Deal agencies. Bethune used her White House access to document exclusions and fight for inclusion, operating within a system while challenging it.