The First Ladies

by Marie Benedict

“Why is the poor man on the church steps?” Mary asks. “I don’t think I’ve ever heard of such a thing.” “I hoped to highlight the hypocrisy of the lynchers and the mob—that dichotomy between their actions and the beliefs they profess to hold,” Mr. Woodruff says.

Instead, this group turns into an ugly mob, witnessing a man being lynched for entertainment. They are so evil, they deem a lynching pleasant enough to bring a child.

“Because it evokes a terrible truth that Mary revealed to me not long ago. Inaction in the face of racism is acquiescence to it.”