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I'm Angie Whitehurst, and I'm interviewing you for the Humanities TRuck at American University at Lincoln Park in honour of Mary McLeod Bethune 50th anniversary, and can you tell me who you are and where you're from. Okay. My name is Tasha Lucas-Youmais. I am serving as the Dean of Libraries at Bethune-Cookman University in Daytona Beach, Florida, and I live in Port Orange, Florida. And do we have permission to record you and post this interview? Yes.

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Thank you. All right. I'll ask what brought you here today? To celebrate Doctor Bethune's 50th year unveiling of the statue in Lincoln Park. Working at Bethune-Cookman, we just celebrated her birthday on on Wednesday, July 10th. And so we wanted to continue that and come here and celebrate with you all. Alright so you celebrate her birthday at Bethune-Cookman, because the school is named after her? She founded the school in 1904. Yes.

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Do you know any other history about that? Uh, absolutely. She started the school with $1.50, five little girls and a lot of faith in God, nearly 120 years ago. So this year, we will be celebrating the 120th year in October of the founding of the institution. Okay. Today, what did the what did you find a value in the program today? I most like today the students reading her last will and testament and of course, the performance by Bethune-Cookman University's Dynamic Concert Chorale. Also with me came on this visit came Dr. Robert Williams, who was the Concert Chorale director when she was unveiled initially in 1974. And so it was a great joy to be able to escort him here today and have him to present on the program, as he did 50 years ago.

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Let me ask you a question. At Bethune-Cookman, you work in the library? I am the Dean of the Library. Yes. Okay. What archive do you house of Mary McLeod Bethune's work? We have most of our archives is housed there. In addition to being the Dean of the Library, I also manage her home, which is a National Historic Landmark on our campus. We receive thousands of visitors a year. Currently, it's under renovation, but we do have her dress, her cane, her gavel, all of her papers, her speeches. We have an enormous archives of her assets.

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Are there any academic papers or books that have been written? Absolutely. Many dissertations. Master's theses. Yes. And other works of art. Yes. Is there anything in particular that you find that you like the most? You know what? The thing that I find most intriguing are her letters. Letters that she wrote and or letters that were written to her. You'd be surprised at the people that wrote letters to her. Of course, she was friends with the Roosevelts. Eleanor. She and Eleanor Roosevelt were dear friends. We found letters between she and Langston Hughes, She and Albert Einstein were personal friends, so they are really a lot of connections, both political and through the arts that she had, that most people are not aware of.

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Is there one document that sticks with you the most? Mm. One of the most -- her last will and testament probably is the most profound document that because it's still relevant today, if you listen to the students that read it today, it's very clear that she was very forward thinking when she wrote it. And it wasn't written for that specific time, but for years to come. Is there anything else that you would like to share with me? Just that I'm very grateful that we had the opportunity to travel here to celebrate with the National Park Service, with the National Council of Negro Women. Um, that'll be all. All right.

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Thank you very much. My pleasure. My pleasure.