The protagonist spends four months training with Brother Hambro, reading, writing, and taking notes on other speeches at rallies, after which Brother Jack tells him that he’s been appointed as head spokesman of the Harlem district for the organization. The next day, the protagonist meets with a committee of Brotherhood members to learn more about his work. As he meets with the committee, it becomes clear to the protagonist that the Brotherhood does not regard itself as radical as other groups agitating for racial equality—a Brotherhood member comes in and references a violent run-in he had with followers of a man called Ras the Exhorter, who is against Black people associating with White people—a “Black nationalist” (364). the protagonist realizes that he saw Ras speaking on the day he arrived in Harlem. Jack urges everyone to remain nonviolent and use nonphysical methods of persuasion.

The protagonist decides to stage a street rally like the one he saw Ras giving, and a young member of the Brotherhood, Tod Clifton, helps him. While the protagonist is giving his speech, Ras and a group of his men appear and break up the rally with blows, which Tod and the protagonist eagerly return.