This February 2025, we\u2019re honoring Black History Month<\/a>. The 2025\u00a0theme is \u201cAfrican Americans and Labor,\u201d<\/a>\u00a0emphasizing the impact Black Americans have made through various working roles.<\/p>\n We\u2019d like to recognize the significant contributions of three Black educators who helped shape the future of higher education, breaking down barriers and inspiring generations of learners and educational leaders.<\/p>\n Mary McLeod Bethune<\/a> is regarded as one of the most significant Black educators and civil rights activists of the 20th century.\u00a0The daughter of formerly enslaved parents, Bethune believed education was key to opening the doors of opportunity for Black Americans. She founded the Daytona Normal and Industrial Institute for Negro Girls<\/a> in Daytona, Florida, in 1904, serving as president of the school. The school was eventually combined with the Cookman Institute for Men in 1923 (other sources cite 1929), merging to form the Bethune-Cookman College,\u00a0Bethune becoming the first Black woman to serve as a college president. The college was one of the few institutions where Black students could seek a college degree. And as of fall 2023, Bethune-Cookman University enrolled 2,415\u00a0undergraduate students.<\/p>\n Kelly Miller<\/a> was a groundbreaking educator, mathematician and writer, becoming the first Black man to attend Johns Hopkins University for post-graduate study. He would go on to eventually join Howard University\u2019s faculty as a mathematics\u00a0professor, helping found the American Negro Academy<\/a> in 1897, the first organization for Black scholars and artists.<\/p>\n Miller introduced sociology to Howard\u2019s curriculum in 1895, becoming the first person to teach the subject at the university. Eventually becoming dean of Howard\u2019s College of Arts and Sciences in 1907, he worked to add new natural and social science courses, transforming the curriculum. Due to his tireless recruitment efforts across the south, student enrollment tripled during his first four years in that position.<\/p>\n Becoming the first Black woman to receive a bachelor\u2019s degree when she graduated from Oberlin College<\/a> in 1862, Mary Jane Patterson<\/a> quickly established herself as trailblazer. She devoted her career to education, teaching at the Institute of Colored Youth, now known as Cheyney University, eventually becoming the school principal at the Preparatory High School for Colored Youth, the first U.S. public high school for Black Americans. The Mary Jane Patterson Scholarship<\/a> was established in 2019, which aims to support post-baccalaureate students who are interested in teaching in urban classrooms.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \n <\/div>\nMary McLeod Bethune<\/h2>\n
![\"Headshot](\"https:\/\/blog.cengage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Mary-Bethune-232x300.jpg\")
Kelly Miller<\/h2>\n
![\"Kelly](\"https:\/\/blog.cengage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/K.-Miller-Image-234x300.jpg\")
Mary Jane Patterson<\/h2>\n
![\"Mary](\"https:\/\/blog.cengage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/MJ-Patterson-205x300.jpg\")
During this Black History Month 2025, we celebrate the contributions of these three Black educators whose accomplishments continue to ring out throughout higher education today.<\/h5>\n
If you\u2019re interested in history content for your course, we encourage you to browse our history catalog<\/a>.<\/h2>\n