An Ideological Criticism of Mary McLeod Bethune

8/20/2019 An Ideological Criticism of Mary McLeod Bethune

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An Ideological Criticism of Mary McLeod Bethune’s

“Democracy” Speech

Mary McLeod Bethune was an icon as a political activist

and leader in the fght or racial advancement, or the “raceupli t ideology”. Her speech “What oes !merican

emocracy Mean to Me"” illustrates her #elie in a “dream”

o e$uality promised #y the %onstitution. &his ideological

criticism ocuses on how her rhetoric re'ected the time in

which she lived and o(ers critical insight into the

interpretation o her perception o what the world could #eand the possi#ility o trans ormation through invitational

rhetoric.

Foss (1989) notes that the rhetorical critic “conveys

passion for and interest in the artifact” and invites the

reader(s) to “transform their lives as a result of contact with

the artifact and the critical essay” (p. 26). uch is the !oal of

this critical essay. "n 19#9$ the nation heard %ary %c&eod

'ethune answer the uestion “ hat *oes +merican

*emocracy %ean to %e,” over the airwaves.

-avin! een the founder of 'ethune/0oo man 0olle!e$

founder of the ational 0ouncil of e!ro omen$ and

*irector of the *ivision of e!ro +3airs for the ational

4outh +dministration$ 'ethune understood the importance of

community involvement. -er !eneration had learned to e

civically en!a!ed and socially responsi le. 5othen uhler

(1991) asserts “communication is the e!innin! of

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community involvement” and that community involvement

means ein! informed and discussin! or actin! on it. he

aseline of involvement is “information and interaction” (p.

7 ). 'ethune communicated throu!h her speeches toaudiences that came to form communities wor in! for

chan!e. -er use of

what Foss and Foss (2 11) call “invitational rhetoric” allowed

her to reach audiences that mi!ht not have een open to

culturally challen!in! points of view. ome scholars have

noted her contri ution to creatin! a world that is morediverse today. Foss and Foss (2 11) further assert that such

spea ers see not :ust to win an ar!ument or to prove its

superiority$ ut to “clarify ideas” and achieve understandin!

in the interaction.

he research uestion uses ideolo!ical criticism to

e;plore how race mar ers are used to challen!e the

:usti


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pu lic?s interest in current events and to replicate the own

%eetin!s that were held in the early days of the @nited

tates “ hrou!h the miracle of radio$ the educational

aspects of the early ew An!land town meetin! have cometo life a!ain and are functionin! as a ulwar of +merican

democracy” (p.#7>).

'roadcast live from ew 4or 0ityBs own -all$ it was

one of the


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di3erent points of view$ the pro!ram attracted an audience.

+s a result$ the hursday evenin! pro!ram ecame the asis

of “listenin! !roups” formin! all across the country. Aach

spea er was !iven ten minutes followed y uestions from alive audience of 1)

noted$ “"nformal uestionin! of the spea ers on their

prepared speeches was new” ( p. #7#). ith its primary

function to impart information$ + %+ supplied

“ i lio!raphies and other discussion aids in the printed

record of each roadcast to encoura!e listeners to followthrou!h in their study of each su :ect” (p.#76). "n 19#8$ an

advisory service was launched to provide items such as

hand oo s for discussion leaders$ ac !round and issue

statements$ spea er information as well as readin! lists.

%ore than a thousand !roups were re!istered with + %+. "n

addition to the re!istered listenin! !roups$ the +merican

+ssociation of +dult Aducation (19#8) estimated some three

thousand more !roups were active.

+t a time when the lynch mo ruled the outh and the

Iu Ilu; Ilan (III) threatened +frican +mericans who stood

up for e ual ri!hts$ this elo uent$ accomplished woman was

included in a national dialo!ue a out democracy. il!rim

(2 ) asserted that racial se!re!ation was the norm and

“Eim 0row” laws were enforced creatin! a “racial caste

system” that le!itimiJed anti/'lac racism (p. 7). Further$

there was an eti uette that accompanied these laws of the

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!overnment$ politics$ economics$ social activism$ and

women?s ri!hts” (p. 171).

-anson (2 #) descri es 'ethune as “outspo en in her

defense of the race$ particularly of lac women$ !roundin!her philosophy in her e;perience as a southern lac

woman” (p. 19). 0oo (1992) asserts that 'ethune “wor ed

to for!e the new activist civil ri!hts movement” (p.16 ). he

wor ed for “free and open access” to e ual citiJenship and

or!aniJed lac voters to elect oNcials who would address

their needs. "n descri in! how 'ethune stepped over !enderoundaries of the time$ %c0uls y (1999) paints the followin!

pictureG

'ethune?s personal traits included charisma and a

sense of self and mission that while admired in men$ is

often feared in women. he eased those fears of over/

steppin! invisi le !ender oundaries y appearin! to

stay within them. his was achieved with a melodious

and cultivated spea in! voice$ an imposin! physical

appearanceOshort$ stout$ dar /s inned$ a3ectin! smile$

and piercin! ut friendly eyes P and a personality that

courted conciliation rather than conMict. (p.2#7)

-anson (2 #) notes that 'ethune “ elieved in li erty$

personal di!nity$ self/respect$ and the power of the allot”

(p. 22). 'ethune was a pra!matic ne!otiator who elieved in

racial pride$ advancement throu!h education$ moral

stren!th$ and community activism. hrou!h her wor with

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education$ women?s clu s$ and politics$ she reached a wide

audience. 0ivil ri!hts$ pre:udice$ and se!re!ation themes

often appeared in her writin!s and speeches.

'ethune was committed to endin! racial oppressionthrou!h pu lic participation. +nte ellum 'lac women set

the e;ample for 'ethune?s !eneration to or!aniJe for “racial

advancement” (-anson$ 2 #). +frican +mericans who were

educated were e;pected to help all +frican +mericans to

importantQ not :ust individual !ain. haw (1996) calls this“socially responsi le individualism$” a sense of duty that

often translated to racial activism. 'ethune was one of the

self/con


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%ary %c&eod 'ethune was also a su3ra!ist committed

to women?s ri!hts. "n 192 she or!aniJed a lac

women?s voter/re!istration drive throu!hout Florida in

the face of III terrorism. he wor ed closely with theational +ssociation of 0olle!e omen until 19# $

when she helped found the ational 0ouncil of e!ro

omen$ an alliance of twenty/nine national

or!aniJations. (0oo $ 1992$ p.16 )

From the chapter titled “ he Ruest for 5acial Eustice$”

0oo (1992) descri es 'ethune and her relationship withAleanor 5oosevelt citin! “a sit/down dinner at the Aast 6 th

street home for leaders of the ational 0ouncil of omen in

1927” as their


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home many times su se uently$ and our friendship

ecame one of the most treasured relationships of my

life. +s a result of my a3ection for her mother/in/law$

my friendship with Aleanor 5oosevelt soon ripened intoa close and understandin! mutual feelin! (0oo $ 1992$

p.1 9).

0oo (1992) descri es how 'ethune moved to the nation?s

capitalG

hen A5 su!!ested that she come to ashin!ton in

=cto er 19#>$ %ary %c&eod 'ethune e!an a daJJlin!chapter in +merican politics. =ri!inally one of thirty/


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Ideological Criticism

'ethune has een identi


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other !roups. "t thus constitutes a ind of social control$

a means of sym olic coercion$ or a form of domination

y more powerful !roups over the ideolo!ies of those

with less power."n other words$ those with more power receive more support

alon! with the power to esta lish what is considered the

norm of society. uch control of lan!ua!e inMuences thou!ht

and action. Foss (2 9) notes thatG

+ he!emonic ideolo!y provides a sense that thin!s are

the way they have to eQ it asserts that its meanin!sare the real$ natural ones. "n a culture where the

ideolo!y of racism is he!emonic$ for e;ample$ the

privile!e accorded to whites seems normal$ as does the

lac of opportunity accorded the individuals of other

races. "f practices in the culture concernin! people of

color are uestioned$ the uestions are viewed as

a normal. (p.21 )

5esistance to such domination is muted$ thus limitin! the

possi le inMuence of chan!e$ especially durin! the time of

'ethune?s speech. he primary !oal of this ideolo!ical critic

is to uncover the ideolo!y em edded in the nationally

roadcast speech !iven y one of the most well/ nown

+frican +merican women of her time. +ccordin! to Foss

(2 9)$ the critic see s to “e;plicate the role of

communication in creatin! and sustainin! an ideolo!y”Oin

this case$ supportin! racial advancement or civil ri!hts for

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+frican +mericansOas well as identify whose interests are

represented. 'y providin! a critical distance$ the

relationships and the conte;t may e chan!ed.

-istory provides the perspective that allows us tounderstand the importance of this speech. Civen at a time

when not only were women?s voices often muted$ ut +frican

+merican women$ also$ faced restricted opportunity to raise

their voices especially over national airwaves. +t that time$

some >> million +mericans had radios$ ut how many were

in the homes of +frican +mericans, =ften the dominated!roup lac s access to information and as a result$ less access

to power.

!indings of the Ideological Analysis

Findin!s from the ideolo!ical analysis su!!est that

'ethune considered +merican *emocracy “a !oal$” “a

dream$” “an ideal.” he elieved in the promise of full

e uality and had hope that it would come as noted in the

openin! lines of the speech$ “ hat *oes +merican

*emocracy %ean to %e,”G

*emocracy is for me$ and for 12 million lac

+mericans$ a !oal towards which our nation is

marchin!. "t is a dream and an ideal in whose ultimate

realiJation we have a deep and a idin! faith.

Aver mindful of her audience$ 'ethune spo e to thousands of

listeners via radio in an elo uent$ Dictorian voiceG 0lear$

stron!$ and educated. he made her case in a way that

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e have helped to uild +merica with our la or$

stren!thened it with our faith and enriched it with our

son!. e have !iven you aul &awrence *un ar$ 'oo er

. ashin!ton$ %arian +nderson and Ceor!eashin!ton 0arver.

-er third claim points to the fact that e ual opportunity

has not yet reached as she would say “her people” statin!

“ he democratic doors of e ual opportunity have not een

opened wide to e!roes.” +s director of the *ivision of

e!ro +3airs for the ational 4outh +dministration under the5oosevelt +dministration from 19# to 19>>$ she was the

authority and shared the statistics sternlyG

"n the *eep outh$ e!ro youth is o3ered only one/


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audience in this “land of the free” to see into her perception

of the worldG

heir housin! and livin! conditions are sordid and

unhealthy. hey live too often in terror of the lynchmo Q are deprived too often of the 0onstitutional ri!ht

of su3ra!eQ and are humiliated too often y the denial

of civil li erties.

'ethune did not share her


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ecause they have always een there ready to

democracyG

+nd yet$ we have always een loyal when the ideals of

+merican democracy have een attac ed. e have!iven our lood in its defense/ from 0rispus +ttuc s on

'oston 0ommons to the attle


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"t is clear that she wants the audience to thin of a world

that includes “her people” as welcomed +mericans wor in!

to!ether to ma e a etter worldOpartners in action to en:oy

e uality to!ether.Finally$ she ma es clear that as a nation$ the amended

0onstitution has not yet provided e ual protection under the

law. he calls to her audience in a rich$ clear$ measured$

powerful$ articulate voiceG

his dream$ this idea$ this aspiration$ this is what

+merican democracy means to me. he speech invites the audience to elieve as she doesG

+frican +mericans deserve e ual protection under the law

and to consider anythin! less than full e uality

unaccepta le. 'ethune created a masterful$ perfectly

e;ecuted speech appealin! for “race advancement” latter

called “civil ri!hts.” 'ethune elieved in e uality and a

!overnment “of the people$ for the people and y the

people.”

Discussion

+fter e;plorin! this important speech$ it is clear that

“race leaders” wor ed for “race advancement$” which could

e interpreted as the e!innin! of the modern civil ri!hts

movement. "n order to chan!e the world in which they lived$

“race leaders” li e 'ethune were civically en!a!ed with

!oals to stop the second/class citiJenship of Eim 0row laws

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which included a poll ta;$ and allowed lynchin! and other

terrorism at the hands of the III. he “race leaders” new

that +frican +mericans deserved to live in a country that

would enforce e ual protection under the law$ which wasnow !uaranteed y the 0onstitution. "nstead$ these

coura!eous leaders spo e out puttin! their lives under

potential threat in a country that was not yet ready to face

its hypocritical$ apartheid/li e society.

+s one listens to 'ethune?s democracy speech$ it is

easy to ima!ine her in conversation$ invitin! uestions$

ready to answer with her stron! ut !entle voice as she tells

the story of “her people” and su!!ests Eim 0row must !o

without specifyin! it. 5acial di!nity and the hope for racial

e uality served as resources for the maintenance of the

ideolo!y of “race advancement$” the early sta!es of the civil

ri!hts movement. %edia e;posure !ave access to power.%c0uls y (1999) found that newspapers were

“a principal forum for pu lic discourse. 'lac /owned

newspapers$ in particular$ assumed the full wei!ht of

the race uplift ideolo!y. 'ethune seiJed that forum in an

e3ort to present herself as the em lematic leader of

lac hopeQ to champion lac pro!ress$ and to

dislod!e rampantly ne!ative perceptions of lac

women and men in the +merican mind” (p. 2#6).

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e;cellent e;ample of “invitational rhetoric$” 'ethune?s

democracy speech shares a world/view that invites her

audience to connect$ e involved$ and e transformed in

order to e etter a le to see a new perspective. +s a !iftedorator and activist$ 'ethune?s persuasive s ills helped to

launch what ecame the future civil ri!hts movement.

"or#s Cited

'ethune$ %.&. ( ov. 2#$ 19#9). “ hat *oes +merican*emocracy %ean to %e, "n I. Allis and . mith (Ads.)$ ay /t

lain0 Live 1ecordings o the 23th %entury4s 5reat ! rican6

!merican peeches . 5etrieved %arch 2 11

httpGTTamericanradiowor s.pu licradio.or!TfeaturesT lac spe

echTmm ethune.html

0oo $ '. . (1992). 7leanor 1oosevelt, 8olume 9 . @nited

tatesG en!uin 'oo s.

0oo $ '. . (1992). 7leanor 1oosevelt, 8olume 2 . @nited

tatesG en!uin 'oo s.

*enny$ C.D.$ Er. (19>1). “5adio 'uilds *emocracy$” :ournal o

7ducational ociology $

1>G 6$ #7 /#77. 5etrieved 6T29T2 11 from

httpGTTwww.:stor.or!Tsta leT2262 #7 .

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http://americanradioworks.publicradio.org/features/blackspeech/mmbethune.htmlhttp://americanradioworks.publicradio.org/features/blackspeech/mmbethune.htmlhttp://www.jstor.org/stable/2262537http://americanradioworks.publicradio.org/features/blackspeech/mmbethune.htmlhttp://americanradioworks.publicradio.org/features/blackspeech/mmbethune.htmlhttp://www.jstor.org/stable/2262537


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Foss$ .I. (1989). 1hetorical %riticism0 7;ploration and

ractice . &on! Crove$ "&G

aveland ress.

Foss$ .I. (2 9). 1hetorical %riticism0 7;ploration and

ractice . &on! Crove$ "&G

aveland ress.

Foss$ .I. and Foss$ I.+. (2 11). /nviting &rans ormation0resentational pea.

-anson$ E+ (2 #). Mary McLeod Bethune and Blac<

Women)s olitical !ctivism .

@niversity of %issouri ress.

%c0uls y$ +. . (1999). “5epresentin! the 5aceG %ay %c&eod

'ethune and the ress in

the Eim 0row Ara.” &he Western :ournal o Blac< tudies

2#G>$ 2#6/2> .

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il!rim$ *. (2 ). “What Was :im %row"” Ferris tate

@niversity. 5etrieved Eune 27$

2 11 httpGTTwww.ferris.eduT:imcrowTwhat.htm

5othen uhler$ A. . (1991). “ he rocess of 0ommunity

"nvolvement.” %ommunication

Monographs $ 8$ %arch.

amovar$ &.+. and oter$ 5.A. (1982). /ntercultural

%ommunication, =th

7dition. 'elmont$ 0+G adsworth u lishin! 0ompany.

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An Ideological Criticism of Mary McLeod Bethune