In Daytona Beach on January 20, 1941, Mary plays Billie Holiday’s "Strange Fruit" instead of listening to the inauguration. Her son Albert arrives and, reading the music and her absence as regret, asks if she rues helping reelect Franklin Roosevelt. Mary denies regret and notes she stayed home on her doctor’s advice.

Albert accuses Mary of taking Black votes from Republicans to Democrats who failed on anti-lynching and tolerate segregationists. Mary recalls the grueling campaign and how the Federal Council unified only after Roosevelt corrected Woodburn’s statement and publicly pledged changes in the military.

The debate intensifies: Albert cites Roosevelt’s segregationist company and the New York assault on a Black officer; Mary counters that Wendell Willkie’s late party switch undercut his claims and argues for supporting the party likely to do the most good or the least harm. Albert concedes it’s a hard choice, and they part on affectionate terms.

After he leaves, Mary reflects on her ongoing pressure on Eleanor Roosevelt—seeking a Black federal judgeship, more defense jobs for Black workers, and Eleanor’s presence at the Delta Sigma Theta convention—to seize opportunities even as war looms. She worries that her constant demands may strain their friendship.

Replaying "Strange Fruit," Mary recalls meeting the family of lynched teenager Austin Callaway during the campaign and the pain of asking them to back a president who let anti-lynching die. She resolves to continue the fight for federal anti-lynching legislation, regardless of who is president, keeping the song as a reminder.