"Mammy" is a racist and derogatory term that was used in the United States during the 1800s to refer to Black women who worked as domestic servants for white families. The stereotype of the "mammy" was often depicted as a large, overweight, and matronly woman who was fiercely loyal to her white employers and their children, often at the expense of her own family. It is important to understand the context and intentions of the artist in question when interpreting their work. In this piece, Dett is using the term "Mammy" as a means of reclaiming, humanizing, and subverting the racist stereotype, rather than perpetuating it. The collection titled Magnolia was written during Dett’s first academic appointment at Lane College in Jackson, Tennessee. It is light, youthful, and expresses a love of nature, similarly to The Album of a Heart, Dett’s book of poems written a year before. The fourth piece in this set has two very contrasting sections. In the first, we hear a lullaby-like tune with a gentle character and warm harmonic progressions. The middle section is full of syncopations, which create instability and a sense of urgency.