Black No More: Being an Account of the Strange and Wonderful Workings of Science in the Land of the Free

It is Easter Sunday in 1934. Matthew and Helen are getting married, despite his dislike of Helen’s mother, and their wedding day happens to mark one year since the founding of the Knights of Nordica, which took place the night of Matthew’s first speech. Matthew now works for Rev. Givens, and thanks to Matthew’s success and influence, the reverend is now imagining himself in a powerful position like the Presidency of the United States. This marriage enables the reverend to focus less on his mistrust of Matthew and more on the money Matthew brings into the organization. Matthew’s canny methods of confronting the Black-No-More movement have succeeded in hoodwinking his audience, so much so that “he almost persuaded himself that it was all true” (65). The Knights of Nordica is now a very wealthy organization and Matthew’s reputation as an organizer is well-known throughout the South. 

Though Michael is earning good money at the Knights of Nordica, Matthew is also working hard to cultivate business relationships with other powerful men in Atlanta. When he meets with these men, he first explains that messengers from the North are being sent to the South to stir up trouble amongst the workers; then he explains how the Knights of Nordica are different from the KKK, and then finally, he asks for financial support for the Knights of Nordica, which he then keeps for himself.