Mary Mcleod Bethune

Mary McLeod Bethune explains the meaning of “Closed Doors,” as the struggle for African-Americans to overcome controversies and deprivation of certain Civil Rights. Through her political, progressive organizations, and motivational speeches Mary expressed that the main issue pertained to white Americans who attempted to segregate the African Americans in several ways. When examining this phrase, the word ‘door’ was used to signify Civil Rights during that time. When combined with the word ‘closed’ it proclaimed that there were certain rights that African Americans would not be able to obtain. This was mainly because the white individuals were unwilling or hesitant to open America to become a unified and non-segregated country. Mary explains in what ways they attempted to open those doors and gives some reasons they were so difficult to pry open.
Not all doors were closed to African Americans throughout the United States. While Mary McLeod Bethune explained that most doors were closed to African Americans, it seems as though she fails to realize what opportunities’ they were actually presented with.   While many blacks were not granted similar privileges as the whites, they were still being offered some.   For instance, blacks were permitted to go to school for a shorter period of time then whites. As a result Mary claims that this is just one more closed door for the blacks. However, she dose not necessarily realize that only a few decades prior many blacks were completely deprived of an education. It may not be fair that the whites were given more opportunities, but Mary should be content with the idea that African-Americans made some type societal achievement over the last few years.
Through Mary’s story it seems as though African Americans were doing little to pry open the doors in which she often refers to. She explains that the most important way to open the doors was with an individual’s perseverance and determination. She also believed that a good...