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All right. So today is July 13th. We are at Lincoln Park at the Mary McLeod Bethune statue rededication. I'm Corrine Davenport. Would you like to introduce yourself? I'm Regina Smith. All righty. And what are you doing here today, Regina? I was here 50 years ago, and I wanted to come again. I didn't get to spend as much time 50 years ago, but I had all the time in the world today, so I thought I would come back.

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Well, what was your, like, role with helping with that, 50 years ago? 50 years ago I was fresh out of high school. I was 17 and I had a job, a summer job with the federal government, departments of highways and traffic. And my manager, he says, come on, let's go up to see the dedication of the statue. And I'm like, I can't go. My supervisor, he's like, I'm your supervisor's supervisor, okay? Let's go. And he told me that Lincoln used to face the Capitol and that it would be disrespectful to have his back to her statue. So they turned the whole thing around. I was -- I didn't know that, so he he brought me up here and -- federal lunch. We had about 30 minutes. So I got to see some of the festivities and the unveiling of the statue. And I thought when he said that, that they were going to twist it around while we were here. But it was already done, but I didn't know. I mean, they took the entire thing and twisted it around so that they would face each other. Amazing. So what was your role in that job at the time? I was a secretary. But what he did on the way in, if you see a stop sign and it's covered by a tree or a bush, he would make note of that so he could send some guys out to cut it down. So I was typing up work orders, that kind of thing for the, for district government. Yeah.

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And then did you only come out that day 50 years ago because your supervisor's supervisor asked you to? No, no, no, he -- I understood the historic and cultural significance. So even though I didn't get to stay for a full program, I was able to come back and see it when it wasn't so many people. So I understood then as now you know how significant she was. So what about her? I mean, she was involved in a lot of things. What about her specifically stood out to you? What was important to you? We had a family attorney, Debbie Roundtree. She came out of Spelman, worked as a teacher for a while, and she wanted to go to law school. And Dr. Bethune had been mentoring her and advised her to go to Spelman. And when she came out, you know, she was teaching. And she says, I have something else for you. Eleanor Roosevelt and Mary Bethune have been working on getting women in the military. And the president, you know, the cabinet was like, no, we don't want any women. And then they bombed Pearl Harbor. But Eleanor and Mary Bethune had already worked out the details of a women in the military. So when that bombing happened, Debbie was African American, and she was like, be ready. This is what I have for you instead. And she's like, what? And she trained as an officer. And that original group of women who were trained, they weren't called WACs. It's WAAC.

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Women's Auxilary Army Corps. Exactly. You know, so again, I understood -- I don't know if a lot of people know that, but, two of the more brilliant women of their time. I don't know the time, even now, you know, to sit down and think about something that didn't even exist. Women in the military and work out the details. And it says something about being ready, whether it's approved or not. They were ready. And when Pearl Harbor hit, they said, here are the women, they needed women working at home so the men could go overseas. So, um, something about women being prepared, you know, even what they say, when the opportunity presents itself, you just need to be prepared. Amazing. And why did you want to come out again today? I know you said you had a lot of time, but what was important about the 50th? We're in troubling times, and you can see things going backwards in terms of rights for people, specifically people of color. And it's you read their words and it's like they're timeless. You know, Dr. Bethune, they like this. Everything they said today about her is back then is relevant today. We're still under attack. And it's a constant vigil, constant battle. You have to be prepared.

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So with her kind of and that preparation in mind, what do you want to kind of do with her in your mind and your thoughts going forward, what do you think is worth addressing? Always be registered to vote. I was eligible to vote in 1974 when I came out of high school. I have voted in every national, local, every election you can think of whether I'm enthusiastic about the candidates or not. Voting is crucial. And is there anything else that you think, especially thinking of her work with getting women in the military and everything else, kind of issues that are important now that are informed by her history? Women are still struggling in the military, a whole other set of issues came to play: sexual harassment, and then, of course, they didn't envision. But women still fighting. And every step. Women are generals now. Women are flying jets now. Fighter pilot jets. So again them starting that path. It's a continuous flow. So this is a continuation. It would be nice to see them do it every 50 years. I doubt if I'll be here in 50 years. I'm 67, but that's okay.

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Is there anything else you want to talk about with your life, relationship to the statue? Anything like that? Education. I graduated from high school, and I went right to work. And in my 40s, I returned to school. I got my bachelors from the University of Maryland. It's never too late to get your education, the idea that she started with something like seven little girls, and now there's a university, you know? So, thinking of her and education. It's never too late to get your education. It's never too late to contribute. And what did you go to school for? Psychology. I wish I had started early. I mean, it's never too late. I was in my 40s and I started in graduate school, and I was 58, and I decided it was a comprehensive exam. And I had to remember a lot of different theories. And I said, okay, I don't think you can do that. But I was like, okay, you did that at 58 and I wasn't going to do anything with the Master's. I just wanted to get it because, you know, but again, it's never too late. Never.

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Absolutely. All right. I know I already asked if there's anything you want to add, but any other things you want to add? Not that I can think of. She's to be admired. All women, you know, just thinking about a time when women couldn't vote. That's just amazing. But does she had her hand in every issue? I'd be overwhelmed, but they weren't. There was a different set of women. They were, I think, a tougher set of people in that time period. And I think because the times were tougher, they were tougher. So what do you think we can do now to kind of come back to that level of mobilization toughness? I don't know. I see women, young women do it. I see them out here protesting. My days are protesting, are gone. But every issue they're here, you know, over the Supreme Court, their rulings about abortion and access. I see them now going after birth control, and I see young women out there doing that. So I think women are doing what they need to do.

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Amazing. One more time. Anything else you want to add? No, that's all right. Thank you so much. Thank you. Corinne.