The First Ladies

In 1927, Mary travels to New York City to attend a luncheon hosted by Sara Delano Roosevelt and her daughter-in-law Eleanor, who is married to Franklin D Roosevelt. As the president of Bethune-Cookman and of the National Association of Colored Women’s Club (NACWC), Mary is widely respected. Inside the house though, the women who claim to support women and want equal rights hardly give her a glance; this hypocrisy hurts Mary, but she ignores it because she is used to it.

Mrs. Sara Delano Roosevelt approaches her, chatting about Mary’s recent time in Europe. As a professor, Mary traveled for eight weeks with Dr. Wilberforce Williams, a professor and writer renowned for his work in public health. Mary and Sara discuss their favorite parts of Europe until Sara is called away. Mary looks for Eleanor, wife of politician Franklin Roosevelt, whom she has never met but thinks would be a promising connection.

Eleanor notices how the other women, heads of respected organizations to uplift all women, are isolating Mary because she’s Black. Eleanor wants to interact with Mary, but as the lunch event begins, the other women stop her. They tell her it’s unacceptable to engage with Mary, no matter how respected she may be.