Birthplace
This work was inspired by a visit to the birthplace of Dr. Bethune, located in the slaves quarters of a plantation in Mayesville, South Carolina.
The use of the cello presents a solemn representation of what I could only imagine what plantation life was like for the slave. Set in g minor with additive usage of the Phrygian mode, the arpeggiated structure found in the piano accompaniment is replete with contrary rises and falls to emulate the struggle of a climb for humanity. In Bethune’s case, that climb was toward education and the welfare of poor underprivileged girls.
In 1935, Mary McLeod Bethune founded the National Council of Negro Women to empower black women concerned with social justice and human rights issues. Building on her public leadership, President Franklin D. Roosevelt appointed Bethune Director of African American Affairs in the National Youth Administration, making her the first African American woman to head a federal agency.