DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — State and local leaders gathered in Daytona Beach on Thursday to honor a legend.
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A new bronze statue of Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune was unveiled.
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She was the founder of Bethune-Cookman University.
Photos: Statue honoring Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune unveiled in Daytona Beach
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Bethune is remembered as a true educator and a civil rights icon.
She was a champion of women and civil rights as well as an educator.
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It’s a legacy that is now on display for all to see enshrined in this statue.
Leaders from around Volusia County and Daytona Beach were on hand along with students, staff and alumni from Bethune-Cookman University for the unveiling of a statue honoring the school’s founder.
Bethune was selected to represent Florida, with her statue now on display at the National Statuary Hall in Washington, D.C. at the Capitol.
She is carrying a walking stick, which was a gift given to her by President Franklin D. Roosevelt.
She is also carrying a black rose, which is to remind people of how she called her students black roses after seeing one while visiting Switzerland.
Watch more in the video above.
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