HISTORY This Week: "They Saw What the United Nations Couldn’t"

Date: October 20, 2025
Host: Alana Casanova-Burgess
Expert Guest: Professor Keisha Blaine (Brown University, author of Without Black Women and the Making of Human Rights)

Episode Overview

This episode delves into the overlooked, yet pivotal, roles that Black American women—Mary McLeod Bethune and Marguerite Cartwright—played in shaping both early United Nations history and the broader struggle for civil and human rights. Through rich storytelling, expert commentary, and archival moments, the episode reframes the civil rights battle as a global, not just domestic, movement and explores how these women saw possibility for justice where global institutions fell short.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Founding of the United Nations (UN) and the San Francisco Conference (1945)

• Historical Context: After WWII, 50 countries assembled in San Francisco to draft the UN Charter, aiming to prevent future world wars. The conference was dominated by the "Big Five" nations—Soviet Union, UK, France, China, and the US.
• Representation Gap: Out of 133 American delegates, only three were Black: W.E.B. Du Bois, Walter White, and Mary McLeod Bethune—the latter the only African American woman present (03:40–05:10).
  • Quote (Alana Casanova-Burgess, 05:10):
    “Bethune warns her colleagues that the UN Charter must include some key points... it must deal with colonialism and racism around the world.”

2. Mary McLeod Bethune: Early Life & Activism

• Background: Born to formerly enslaved parents in South Carolina, Bethune was inspired by both exclusion and opportunity in her youth to fight for education and equality (07:31–08:32).
  • Quote (Keisha Blaine, 08:52):
    “Even as Plessy vs. Ferguson establishes the notion of separate but equal... the opportunities for Black children are certainly separate, but they’re by no means equal.”
• Founding Bethune-Cookman University: Turned meager means into a thriving school for Black girls, emphasizing both academic and vocational training (09:22–10:17).

3. Transnational Perspective & Political Influence

• International Advocacy: Bethune built connections with Black communities globally and worked to link the US civil rights struggle to anti-colonial movements worldwide (10:33–11:01).
  • Quote (Bethune, paraphrased, 10:49):
    “Racism here brings forward the color question, belting the world colonial dominions and their attendant evils.”
• White House Connections: Her relationship with Eleanor Roosevelt unlocked high-level influence (11:15–11:56).

4. Bethune’s Road to the UN

• Struggle for a Delegate Seat: After FDR’s death, Bethune lobbied—via public outcry and Eleanor Roosevelt’s advocacy—to secure her place as an official consultant at the UN (13:53–14:34).
• At the Conference: As the sole Black woman delegate, she pressed delegates to move beyond abstract ideals to real action on colonialism and racism (17:46–19:38).
  • Quote (Keisha Blaine, 18:47):
    “She’s essentially moving beyond the buzzwords. It’s not enough to talk about human dignity... if you’re not willing to confront real problems.”

5. Outcomes—and Disappointment—at the UN

• Persistence Amid Setbacks: The final UN Charter sidesteps colonialism and allows segregation to continue (21:16–21:37).
  • Quote (Keisha Blaine, 21:16):
    “By the time Mary McLeod Bethune leaves San Francisco, it’s quite clear that she’s not going to actually accomplish everything she set out to accomplish.”
• Bethune’s Continued Advocacy: Though frustrated, Bethune’s work raised international awareness, inspiring others to leverage the UN platform for racial justice (21:37–22:15).
• The "We Charge Genocide" Petition (1951): Activists like W.E.B. Du Bois and William Patterson used the UN to accuse the US of genocide for its treatment of Black Americans. The UN, influenced by Cold War politics and US pressure, refused to hear the case, deeply disappointing Black leaders (22:15–23:48).
  • Quote (Alana Casanova-Burgess, 22:40):
    “It charges the United States with genocide for its treatment of its own Black citizens.”
  • Quote (Keisha Blaine, 23:39):
    “It amounts to: ‘We can’t help you.’”

6. Marguerite Cartwright: Journalist and UN Commentator

• Background and Education: A child prodigy who earned her master’s at 19, Cartwright struggled for work before entering show business, and later government and academia (25:15–27:39).
• Journalism and UN Coverage: Cartwright attended UN meetings as accredited press, connecting the issues Black Americans faced to global struggles through her columns (28:31–29:55).
  • Quote (Cartwright, 29:55):
    “The UN—where history is made, geography carved out, continents destroyed, where the defenses of peace must be established. This is my beat.”
• Bold, Candid Reporting: She was unafraid to call out inaction and hypocrisy, even among Black delegates, and criticized institutions from within (30:31–31:11).
  • Quote (Cartwright, 31:11):
    “If this were true, it would make... UNESCO the biggest and most useless fraud of all time.”

7. Legacy and Lessons

• Transnational Civil Rights: Both Bethune and Cartwright linked the American civil rights movement to broader anti-colonial and human rights struggles (31:54–33:15).
  • Quote (Keisha Blaine, 33:15):
    “The link between the national and international... is the same belief that Bethune and Cartwright both shared.”
• Hope and Realism on the UN: Despite shortcomings, the UN symbolizes potential—but real change requires persistent pressure, not mere hope or concepts (33:41–34:17).
  • Quote (Keisha Blaine, 33:41):
    “How do we make that real on the ground? ... At some point, we do need to see them materialize within our lifetime, within our lives and in our communities.”

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Invisible Leaders (06:52, Keisha Blaine):
  “Who is the leader? ...Could it also be the person who is invisible in the story, who might be moving quietly behind the scenes, but they're saying something that could in fact shape the narrative?”

• On Colonialism at the UN (19:17, Keisha Blaine paraphrased):
  “For [Bethune], there was no attempt to call for human rights without directly confronting colonialism... If you don’t actually talk about colonialism, then it’s about human rights for some groups and not for others.”

• On UN Inaction (31:41, Cartwright):
  “The United nations, with all its faults, is the only international organization for the fulfillment of our hopes for collective security, freedom, justice, and peace in the world.”

Timestamps for Important Segments

• UN Conference Context & Bethune’s Arrival: 02:17–06:45
• Bethune’s Early Life & Activism: 07:31–10:17
• Bethune’s Political Influence/Eleanor Roosevelt: 11:01–12:56
• Struggle to Join U.S. Delegation: 13:53–14:34
• Bethune at the San Francisco Conference: 17:46–21:37
• "We Charge Genocide" Petition: 22:15–23:39
• Introduction to Marguerite Cartwright: 25:15–27:00
• Cartwright’s UN Journalism: 28:31–31:41
• Closing Thoughts on Legacy: 31:54–34:17

Episode Tone & Takeaways

The episode combines admiration for Bethune and Cartwright’s unheralded leadership with a clear-eyed, sometimes somber appraisal of the obstacles they faced. Listeners are left with the sense that global institutions like the UN hold immense, if often unrealized, promise for human rights. The real story, as shown through these women, is how persistent advocacy—often from society’s margins—can expand the meaning of justice for everyone.

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