Through her friendship with Kathryn Lewis, Durr met Lucy Randolph Mason who was then running public relations for the CIO. In this excerpt, Durr reflects on how Mason's identity as a southern lady assisted her negotiations between labor organizers and industrial leaders. She then explains how Mason convinced the Roosevelts to become more active in the labor movement which led to a coalition between Mason, the Southern Policy Commission, and other southern activists, both white and black.