P.S. Be Eleven

Content Warning: This section contains descriptions of racism, Islamophobia, post-traumatic stress disorder, and substance use disorder. Because the source text is set in the 1960s, it also makes use of the outdated and derogatory term “Negro.” The guide has preserved this term in quotation marks only when its inclusion is necessary to enhance the analysis and reflect the historical context of the story.

Delphine, Vonetta, and Fern Gaither take a return flight from Oakland, California, to New York City after having spent the summer with their mother, Cecile, in Oakland. When they scream during the bumpy ride and chant their mother’s poems about freedom, oppression, and the beauty of Black culture, a stewardess presses them to be quieter. When the plane lands, Fern, the youngest, needs to use the bathroom, so Delphine, the eldest, rushes from the plane with her and cuts to the front of the line to the bathroom; several white adults protest this behavior, and Fern still wets her pants. Big Ma, the girls’ grandmother, shows up, and Delphine is so excited that she bumps into a young white man in her rush to get to Big Ma.