Mary McLeod Bethune arrives at the NAACP’s New York office and is warmly greeted by young staff before Walter White ushers her to his office. They briefly revisit Walter’s dangerous investigative past and the ongoing risks of racial violence, including his experience passing for white and his near-fatal 1919 escape after the Elaine Massacre. Walter has returned from Maryland amid heightened tensions following the Armwood lynching.

Walter presents a Pittsburgh Courier headline announcing Mary’s praise of President Roosevelt. Mary explains she publicly commended Roosevelt for his rare, nationwide denunciation of lynching and shares that her political loyalty has shifted from party to people; she supports whoever advances Black interests. She argues that public condemnation from the president constitutes progress worth encouraging.

Walter counters that words are insufficient without federal action. He notes Roosevelt still refuses to meet the NAACP, citing New Deal priorities, while newly appointed Black officials often sit idle without real assignments. He insists only anti-lynching legislation counts as progress, shaped by his own traumatic experience with racist mob violence in Atlanta.

Mary maintains that affirming steps can catalyze further change, listing recent federal appointments as groundwork. She reveals Eleanor Roosevelt has been pressuring the president on both anti-lynching and appointments. Though Walter doubts a privileged First Lady’s commitment, Mary rebuts his skepticism and proposes a practical next step: arrange for Walter to meet with Eleanor at the NAACP offices, creating a new channel to press the White House.