On the evening of November 23, 1939, Mary McLeod Bethune was part of a panel discussion on America’s Town Meeting of the Air, a weekly public affairs broadcast on NBC Radio—one of the nation’s first “talk radio” programs— revolving around the title question “What Does American Democracy Mean to Me?” Bethune was eminently qualified to join the panel that evening. She was the founder of a school that evolved into the modern-day Bethune-Cookman University. She was a past president of the National Association of Colored Women and the founder of the National Council of Negro Women. She was also a key figure in the Black Cabinet, or, more formally, the Federal Council on Negro Affairs, an advisory group that kept the administration of President Franklin Roosevelt apprised of the concerns of the black community. She delivered her remarks during what would prove to be the tail end of the Great Depression, a time when African American workers faced enormous challenges. Looming on the horizon was American entry into World War II, which had started less than three months earlier with the German invasion of Poland. As Americans vigorously discussed issues involving the direction the country should take, both economically and militarily, the topic of the panel that evening was particularly timely.