Summary

In Chapter 13, “Hazel, 1937,” 15-year-old Hazel walked to Stanley’s for meat after the flood. Her father had died in a flood, but she knew his boots would keep her safe. Della had sent her to Stanely’s despite the bad conditions. Della “was the best seamstress in Memphis” (98). Hazel helped Della in the shop and knew Della’s work was art.

Although Stanley’s was segregated, Stanley was “foreign and Jewish” and “beloved in their Black neighborhood” (100). He had to hang “a colored section” sign, but rarely enforced it (100). When the Klan had destroyed his shop years prior, the Black community helped him rebuild. Stanley therefore defended Hazel when a white cop entered, confronting her for being in the white section. When Hazel “looked . . . the white man” in the face, a young Black boy took her arm and told her to...