E.H. Wright needs a new secretary, so Whitley recommends Jaleesa's temp agency. Unfortunately, the company needs to fill the position immediately, and the only person available is Freddie. Freddie overhears the head of personnel say that she does not believe in affirmative action; she feels that she earned her job on merit, and wants others to do the same. Freddie lights into the woman and tells her that she has a duty to her race. Freddie gets fired, making both Jaleesa and Whitley look very bad. Jaleesa agrees with Freddie's stance and isn't sure she wants to do business with E.H. Wright. Col. Taylor angers his wife by pointing out that attacking one's boss because she holds a different point of view is not very smart. Freddie realizes that her behavior was inappropriate, and she and Jaleesa both apologize. Lena has difficulty understanding Shakespeare because of the language barrier. She delves into the spirit of the work and translates it into more modern terms.

Lena cannot keep her grades high enough to maintain her engineering scholarship. She writes an essay about her father for an English assignment. Professor Foster is so impressed that he enters her work in a contest. She wins the award and receives a journalism scholarship. Lena is mortified when her father shows up for the awards ceremony. He is not the Vietnam vet and former Black Panther she described in her essay, but rather a hustler who is constantly in debt. Mr. James approves of Lena's actions, as he feels that she was just doing what was necessary to survive. Lena fears that she is just like her father, but he states that she can choose her own path. She confesses to Professor Foster, who was already aware of her duplicity. He says that she is a good writer and helps her get an English scholarship. Whitley alienates one of Byron's potential benefactors by wearing a fur coat. She brushes up on the issues in the hopes of becoming an asset to Byron's campaign.