Philosophy Colloquium Series presents Mary McLeod Bethune: Pragmatism and Social Rights (INT 100/201 Approved)

Friday, November 7, 2025
3:00 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Allendale Campus
Alumni, Community, Faculty, Staff, Students

Dr. Judy Whipps, Professor Emerita, is returning to GVSU on November 7 to give a talk on Mary McLeod Bethune. Bethune was an educator, women's club leader, and political activist who was a forerunner in the civil rights movement. Her activism positions her in the feminist pragmatist dialogue. This talk is a part of the Philosophy Colloquium series and will be from 3:00 PM-4:30 PM in Manitou Hall 107.

More About Mary McLeod Bethune:

Mary McLeod Bethune, educator, women’s club leader and political activist was a forerunner in the civil rights movement. In the 1930s, she became the first African American woman to head a federal department. Although she is not a traditional philosopher, I read Bethune’s activism as philosophy, positioning her in the feminist pragmatist dialogue by demonstrating her core pragmatist and feminist philosophies. The history of Bethune’s civil rights activism adds an essential dimension to the fifty-year story of feminist pragmatist judicial and legislative activism for social rights. Bethune’s history also demonstrates how relational power was a force in political change, both in her leadership of African American women’s clubs and through the relationships she developed with Eleanor and President Roosevelt.

More About Dr. Judy Whipps:

Dr. Judy Whipps is a GVSU Professor Emerita of Philosophy and Interdisciplinary Studies. She was a professor at GVSU for nearly 25 years and was chair of Liberal Studies (now Interdisciplinary Studies). She recently published a new book, Feminist Pragmatism and Social Rights from Jane Addams to Frances Perkins. Her paper on Mary McLeod Bethune won the Addams prize at the Society for the Advancement of American Philosophy conference last spring.

Location Information

Manitou Hall

10880 N Campus Drive

Room 107

Allendale, MI 49401

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Contact Information

If you have questions, please call 616-331-2114, email [email protected], or email [email protected].

Hosting Department, Organization, or Business

GVSU Philosophy Department

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This event was added to the calendar by Allyssa Wetzel (wetzelal@gvsu.edu) on Monday, October 20, 2025 and was last updated on Monday, November 3, 2025 at 10:08 a.m.

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