The First Ladies
by Marie Benedict
Contents
Chapter 31
Overview
Mary convenes Black appointees to draft a calibrated public thank-you letter that pressures President Roosevelt on appointments and the anti-lynching bill. Despite tokenism frustrations, they agree to publish it. Eleanor warns FDR refuses to meet Walter White, prompting Mary to propose a staged White House encounter, which Eleanor embraces.
Summary
In April 1934 at Washington’s Whitelaw Hotel, Mary Bethune reflects on the difficulty of engaging President Roosevelt on lynching as she meets Robert Vann, Eugene Kinckle Jones, and newcomer Robert Weaver. Vann and Jones describe token appointments and exclusion from real work, while Weaver reports progress under Clark Foreman, including his memo on New Deal inequities and canceled racist contracts.
Mary outlines a strategy: publish a positive, forward-leaning thank-you to Roosevelt to coax momentum on substantive roles and, above all, the anti-lynching bill. Vann resists but offers to publish the letter in the Pittsburgh Courier while withholding his signature and urges restrained language, noting Mary hasn’t embraced the Democratic Party. They agree to “thread the needle.”
A hotel attendant summons Mary to a phone call from Eleanor Roosevelt, who urges caution. Eleanor reveals that Franklin refuses to meet NAACP leader Walter White and intends no further action beyond his prior statement, threatening Mary and Eleanor’s two-pronged plan of public praise plus a pivotal White House meeting.
Refusing to abandon the goal, Mary proposes subterfuge: arrange for Walter White to encounter the president at the White House without a formal appointment. Eleanor immediately agrees, endorsing the gambit and promising she knows how to make the “chance” meeting happen.
Who Appears
- Mary McLeod BethuneLeads strategy; pushes a public thank-you letter to pressure FDR and proposes a staged White House meeting.
- Robert L. VannFrustrated appointee and editor; decries tokenism; agrees to publish the letter but won’t sign; urges restraint.
- Eleanor RooseveltCalls to temper the letter; reports FDR’s refusal to meet Walter White; agrees to orchestrate a chance meeting.
- Robert C. WeaverYoung appointee under Clark Foreman; reports concrete progress and anti-discrimination actions.
- Eugene Kinckle JonesAppointee with office but sidelined; shares skepticism about meaningful roles for Black hires.
- Franklin D. RooseveltOffstage; resists meeting Walter White and offers no action beyond his anti-lynching statement.
- Walter WhiteNAACP leader; targeted for a crucial White House meeting to advance anti-lynching efforts.
- Clark ForemanLeads federal unit; hires Weaver; ends contracts with proven racist companies.
- Attorney General CummingsAvoids meeting Robert Vann, exemplifying the administration’s tokenism toward Black appointees.