Chapter 11

Summary

• The chapter is set in Daytona Beach, Florida, on November 16, 1930. The protagonist is a woman named Mary McLeod Bethune who is catching a train.
• Mary is traveling to attend a White House National Conference on Child Health and Protection where the president will be present. She expresses frustration about the racist segregation present in the South, mentioning that as a black person, she has to use the "Coloreds Only" doors and trains, which are not maintained as well as those for white people.
• Mary sits next to a young girl on the train who tells her she's on her way to New York to possibly move there due to financial hardship. It is stated that Mary has travelled to New York previously.
• Mary recalls that her grandmother believed Mary had a special destiny before she was born. Her grandmother had been kidnapped in Africa and brought to America, adding a personal connection to her African heritage.
• Mary expounds on her aspirations, recalling how she had planned to become a missionary in Africa. She reminisces about her first train ride when she was leaving her hometown, Mayesville, for the first time on a scholarship to attend Scotia Seminary. The memory highlights the stark difference between her first and current train ride, and the progression of her life from there till now.
• Later, Mary has an encounter with a young white conductor who persistently addresses her as "Auntie." Mary, annoyed at the disrespectful term, cleverly calls out his rudeness in a way that causes the other passengers to laugh, and she finally offers him her ticket while stating her full name.
• The chapter closes with Mary reflecting on the importance of not tolerating disrespectful or prejudiced behavior, re-affirming her role as an educator and her commitment to teaching valuable societal lessons.