Chapter 25

Summary

• The chapter is set in Washington, D.C., on May 14, 1933, and the narrator, Mary, is having a meeting with Eleanor.
• Mary and Eleanor are discussing an agenda to address the needs of the African American communities in alignment with the New Deal Programs; this includes immediate relief for the unemployed and their families, job creation tailored for African Americans, supporting an anti-lynching bill currently backed by two Democratic senators, and getting African Americans appointed to key administrative positions.
• Eleanor acknowledges the effectiveness of these strategies but also communicates the difficulty in promoting these changes due to Franklin's perspective and the influence of Southern Democrats.
• Mary emphasizes the systemic racism prevalent in the society and insists on the importance of having African Americans included in the New Deal programs. She also supports the appointment of African Americans to advisory positions in each New Deal Agency.
• A personal conversation ensues where Eleanor admits to being hurt by Franklin's past affair with Lucy Mercer, her former social secretary. Eleanor opens up about feeling betrayed and never truly recovering from the infidelity.
• Mary reveals her similar experience of betrayal where her husband had an affair with one of her friends. She expresses how she reacted by immediately asking her husband to leave and cutting off all connections with him, including avoiding speaking his name, which she continued to do even after his death.
• Mary discusses the healing process, differentiating between forgiving and forgetting, illustrating how she gradually forgave her husband and friend, and managed to feel whole again over time.
• Eleanor acknowledges Mary's wisdom and credits how she continues to learn from their friendship.