On a warm May day in Daytona, Mary McLeod Bethune enjoys a rare leisurely stroll, admiring her new walking stick and the Second Avenue corridor. She notes her heavy workload across national organizations and anticipates campaigning for Herbert Hoover. Passing local shops, she reflects on her persistent lobbying that secured permission for her son’s Tea Room and, later, Hattie Johnson’s diner—opening the way for more Black-owned businesses in Midway. She also resolves to press the mayor for street paving in the neglected neighborhood.

Crossing into the whiter, paved Seabreeze area, Mary visits Miss Esther’s Fancy Fashions, a longtime ally. There she meets Mrs. Wallace, the city councilman’s wife, who praises a recent Langston Hughes appearance at Mary’s integrated community meeting but pointedly calls her “Mary.” Mary corrects her, insisting on “Mrs. Bethune,” underscoring the reciprocity of respect. Mrs. Wallace departs, and Mary affirms the principle she adopted in childhood: to demand proper address denied to her parents.

Mary and Miss Esther discuss the recent Gamble dinner and the fashions Mary wore, before turning to practical needs: attire for the upcoming presidential campaign. In conversation, Mary mentions becoming part owner of Central Life Insurance after a teacher was denied coverage because she was Black, framing the investment as a necessary response to discrimination. She selects multiple outfits despite misgivings about modern hemlines.

As Mary pays, her seven-year-old grandson, Albert Jr., arrives with Mrs. Davis waiting in the car. Mary plans a celebratory meal at Hattie’s diner and reflects on the joy of raising her grandson. Leaving the shop, she greets local children and, humming Louis Armstrong, heads off to spend cherished time with Albert Jr., buoyed by the progress she has made for her community and the work still ahead.