Chapter 67

Summary

• The chapter is set in Tuskegee, Alabama on March 12, 1943. The main character, Mary, has a conversation with Eleanor Roosevelt and a shell-shocked pilot.
• Eleanor Roosevelt suggests that she and Mary take a flight together, but Mary is unable due to her weak lungs.
• Eleanor ends up going for the flight with the Chief Flight Instructor Anderson after discussing it with Mary.
• Mary chooses to stay on the ground due to her health but continues to support Eleanor by watching her prepare for the flight.
• Eleanor and Mary's goal for their visit to Tuskegee is to help get the Tuskegee pilots into active duty.
• Before the flight, Eleanor introduces herself to the reporters and articulates that if she, the First Lady, is safe flying with a "colored" pilot then the trained colored pilots are safe to fight in the war.
• Mary takes immense pride in Eleanor's actions, referring to the flight as an "unprecedented flight" that would bring new opportunities for well-trained pilots.
• Mary reflects back on Eleanor's transformation over the years and how she went from being a shy politician's wife to a woman who fought for the rights of millions of Americans.
• As the plane ascends, Mary imagines herself on the plane with Eleanor, feeling that only together do they soar.