Chapter 46

Summary

• Mary Bethune arrives at the White House and greeted by Eleanor Roosevelt. They are old friends, with Mary often being introduced as the "First Lady of the Struggle."
• They settle down for tea and chat about their lives. Eleanor shares about the activities of her children, and Mary about her sons; Albert Sr, running a funeral home, and Albert Jr, who will be graduating school soon and plans to attend Morehouse College.
• Mary gives Eleanor an update on her latest endeavor, Bethune Beach resort, which she's determined to build, no matter how long it takes.
• They also talk about the mysterious disappearance of Amelia Earhart, a dear friend of Eleanor, with no new information available about her whereabouts. Eleanor is visibly saddened by the topic.
• Mary is then invited to Eleanor's Gridiron Widows parties, something she is looking forward to. Eleanor expresses her worry that Mary might be uncomfortable as the only person of color among the guests, but Mary reassures her, mentioning her regular encounters with racism.
• At the party, Mary notices the servants in the room, who are also African American. She realizes Eleanor did not account them when she warned Mary about being the only person of color in the room.
• Mary is introduced to Lorena Hickok, a well-respected reporter and Eleanor's close friend, and they discussed about world events and Hickok's journalism career.
• During the party, Mary insists on acknowledging one of the young African American servers, whom she finds out is also named Mary after herself. This opens Eleanor's eyes to the presence of the various other black servants in the room.
• Eleanor and Mary then watch a series of comedic skits put on by the attendees, with one involving Eleanor's character as a Supreme Court Justice; the idea ignites Mary's imagination about having a woman, even a person of color, one day serving on the high court.