May 18

Today marks the death of Mary McLeod Bethune, in 1955. She was the archetype of community organizer and civil rights activist, starting a school for Black girls in Daytona Beach, and using every obstacle she encountered as an opportunity to creatively empower more people to do more good. When she started her school, she and her students made nearly everything, from the furniture to the pencils. The school eventually merged with the Methodist Cookman Institute to become Bethune-Cookman College. 

Today is International Museum Day, organized by the International Council of Museums to promote the idea that “Museums are an important means of cultural exchange, enrichment of cultures and development of mutual understanding, cooperation and peace among peoples.” 

Reflection: 

It is fitting to observe International Museum Day since the current fascist regime of the United States is trying to rewrite history to favor its white supremacist ideology

Mary McLeod Bethune said,

Prayer: God of the prophets, we call your prophets by many names. Today we remember that teachers, community organizers, and activists are prophets, speaking a word of God to a struggling world. We pray for the institutional memory of museums that teach us our history. May we never grow weary of learning and teaching. Amen.