Chapter 3

Summary

• In 1927 New York, the narrator, Mary, is having a meal with Mrs. Roosevelt, during which she reflects on her own experiences with racism and her path to education.
• Mary recalls a childhood incident when she, as a black girl, was made aware of her racial inequality by white girl named Margaret. The incident hurt Mary deeply and became a catalyst for her to educate herself.
• Following this incident, Mary learned to read within a year and realized the importance of education for enhancement of the black community.
• Back in the present, Mrs. Roosevelt expresses shock at the ingrained racist attitudes she's encountered, which Mary had anticipated. Mary tells Mrs. Roosevelt that such racism is not her problem, but the problem of people who are racists.
• Mrs. Roosevelt expresses admiration for Mary's achievements in education, particularly her founding of Bethune-Cookman College, a school for black girls, with less than two dollars.
• Both women agree on the importance of practical education for young girls that equips them not just for roles as wives, mothers and society mavens but also for careers and further higher education if they so desire.
• Mrs. Roosevelt then proposes that they both attend a concert by Mary's favorite singer, Roland Hayes, when their schedules permit, despite knowing the reality that mixed race attendance at such events was not commonly permitted. Mary accepts the proposition, whether it is made out of ignorance or determination.