WWII gave her and many others the chance to prove just how united the United States could be, and how everyone could contribute to a common national goal. That became very visible when Mrs. Bethune was present for the launching of the first US Merchant Marine ship named after an African American person, SS Booker T. Washington, in September of 1942.

That's this photo right here (she's second from right); the SS Booker T. Washington predated the first Navy Ship to be named after a Black man by almost a year. Mrs. Bethune didn't stop there, though, quite the contrary— two years later, thanks to a significant fundraising program run by the NCNW, the Merchant Marine was able to fund construction of the SS Harriet Tubman, the first Merchant Marine or Navy ship named after an African American woman.

These legacies still carry forward to this day; while no other government ship has carried the name Booker T. Washington, in 2023, a John Lewis-Class oiler was named after Harriet Tubman, sealing her legacy for another generation of US sailors.

Image Credit: Library of Congress
Alt-text: Photo of SS Booker T Washington's launching, featuring Mary McLeod Bethune, Marian Anderson, and three shipbuilders.

Source: Mary McLeod Bethune Council House National Historic Site