In 1951, Welricha Hotel, in which Dr. Bethune held partial interest, was opened to accommodate vacationers and provide recreational facilities to African American residents. Advertised as“ a playground controlled exclusively by our race,” the property offered a resortstyle setting where Blacks could enjoy“ recreation and relaxation without humiliation.”
Dr. Bethune visited the motel frequently with her family. After spending a July 4th holiday at the motel, she wrote,“ On the Fourth of July, we sat here in this beautiful beach motel, which we have called‘ Welricha,’ facing the waters of the great Atlantic Ocean on the one side and the north arm of the Indian River on the other.”
Bethune-Volusia Beach became a popular beach destination for AfricanAmerican families, annually drawing thousands of visitors from all over the country, and remained so until segregation ended in the 1960s.
Today, lots that sold for as little as $ 590 in 1947 are now filled with multi-million-dollar homes.
Investments in Others
Throughout her life, Dr. Bethune saw promise in a myriad of Black business owners and invested in their endeavors accordingly. Among these entrepreneurs was Sarah Breedlove, better known as Madame C. J. Walker, who, like Dr. Bethune, was born to previously enslaved sharecroppers. Madame Walker is credited for developing and marketing a line of cosmetics and hair care products for Black women, thus making her the first recorded, selfmade female millionaire.
Dr. Bethune was instrumental in the promotion of a Madame Walker’ s beauty care line and in a letter to the beauty mogul, dated April 5, 1917, praised the benefits of the products on her own as well as her students’ hair and
Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune with local Daytona Beach community leaders
Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune and Marian Anderson at the launching of the SS Booker T Washington, a US Maritime Commission Liberty ship
Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune at her desk
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