Summary of Endangered Species by Crystal Wilkinson

The primary characters in the story Endangered Species are the protagonist, a black
woman, her husband Big V, her child Little V, and the white woman. The story’s setting is in an
affluent neighborhood mostly inhabited by white people, as seen by the neighbors who watch the
white woman pushing her way to her house without considering her privacy whatsoever.

The mood of the story is anger. This is because of the constant thrumming of the
narrator’s head that signifies the need to fight for justice in an environment that tolerates racism.
Here the black people have no say in society whatsoever. This is depicted by the narrator when
she refuses to sign the petition presented by the white women to kill all the feral cats in the
neighborhood. The narrator has immense respect for nature, as shown by her thoughts that the
cats would be lovely to keep were they the domesticated kind. She does not chase them away
when they hang around her house. She does not kill the mouse or the big spider hovering around
the roof as long as it does not bother her. The narrator loves trees around, even if they are used to
mark boundaries, but she still loves them anyway. The white woman was still persistent and
could not be deterred, as seen by her pushing her heel by the door and insisting that the narrator
signs the petition. She asks her for mortgage papers to prove that she lives in an affluent
neighborhood to show the level of spite against the black people. As if that was not enough, the
white woman refused to budge from the door. As a result, the narrator got angry, the ‘thrum’ was

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now at its peak, and she pushed the white woman outside and closed the door. The mailman and
the white neighbors around her home did not step in to assist during the altercation, but they
were quick to come to the rescue of the white woman after she fell. Later on, the white woman
promised revenge, and she reported to the police, who now came to her house to question her.
In conclusion, the story documents the rising cases of death and cruelty attributed to
racism as such black women, including the narrator, have that constant thrum that seeks freedom
and justice. The narrator is tired that broad-day racism is tolerated even on her doorstep. She
rants to the police about the increasing cases of black murder, yet they did not even pay attention
to her side of the story but were quick to draw a gun and tell her to give them her son. The
narrator stood her ground and vowed to stay with little V until Big V or her sister arrived,
signifying that justice should be served at all costs.