On March 4, 1933, Mary McLeod Bethune switches off the radio rather than listen to Franklin D. Roosevelt’s inauguration. She reflects on having congratulated Eleanor Roosevelt, worries about their friendship after criticizing Vice President John Nance Garner’s support for poll taxes, and contemplates turning from national politics to strengthening Bethune-Cookman College and her “Black Roses.”

Mary’s grandson, Albert Jr., rushes in, shaken. He, his friend Carl, and Carl’s brother Freddie had gone toward the whites-only beach when two white men confronted them, hurled slurs, and drove them away, saying they did not want Black people “dirtying” the ocean. Mary steadying herself, asks for details, then prepares to answer Albert’s fearful question about white people thinking Black people are dirty.

Mary counters the insult by affirming Albert’s identity. She recounts their lineage: Grandma Sophie, a princess stolen from Africa and enslaved, who retained her dignity, and Albert’s great-grandparents Sam and Patsy, who, though illiterate, bought land and built their home; Sam crafted their furniture. Albert brightens, and Mary proposes a treat at Miss Hattie’s for banana cream pie, including Carl.

Alone again, Mary refuses to be ruled by rage. She reframes the moment as a call to action, vowing to end the exclusion from Daytona’s beach so her grandson, her students, and the city’s Black residents can share God’s creation. Her resolve signals a shift toward local, tangible change rooted in her leadership.