Chapter 14

Summary

• In Chapter 14, the narrator is Eleanor Roosevelt who is meeting her friend, Mrs. Bethune, at the Mayflower Hotel in Washington, D.C. on November 23, 1930 to discuss racial issues in the USA.
• They purposely meet in person infrequently but have a deep connection through exchanging letters about their personal lives, work in women’s organizations, and hopes for their country.
• Upon Mrs. Bethune's arrival, a doorman hesitates to direct her and Mrs. Roosevelt intervenes to prevent any negative incident.
• They are stopped by a younger doorman who informs Mrs. Roosevelt that colored guests aren't allowed in the Palm Court where they planned to have tea; segregation isn't law, but is still practiced at the hotel.
• Mrs. Roosevelt decides to confront the issue and informs the manager they will be having tea in the Palm Court. The manager agrees, but they are stared at and whisper about as they cross the lobby.
• Once seated at the back of the restaurant, Mrs. Bethune refuses to let Mrs. Roosevelt apologize for the segregation situation and suggests they focus on their planned discussion.
• During their conversation, Mrs. Roosevelt shares her experiences as governor's wife, and admits her discomfort with the formal and superficial aspects of the role.
• Mrs. Bethune also admits her discontentment with being appointed to President Hoover's Commission on Child Welfare where she is not given any real power or authority.
• Mrs. Bethune reveals her reason for the meeting: she is advocating an end to lynching, and needs Mrs. Roosevelt's help. Mrs. Bethune shares the high number of lynchings occurring across the nation, and presents Mrs. Roosevelt with a distressing report from a civil rights activist, Mrs. Jessie Daniel Ames.
• The report highlights the silence around lynchings as a primary reason for their continuation; white people who know of these brutalities are failing to confront or challenge them out of fear. The report suggests that this silence is equivalent to guilt.
• Mrs. Roosevelt agrees to stand against these acts and acknowledges her own ignorance regarding the racism in the country. Mrs. Bethune reassures her that merely acknowledging the issue is a beginning.