Like Aibileen, Minny has worked as a maid since she was a teenager. Unlike Aibileen, Minny is hot-tempered and known for talking back to her white employers, which has led to her being fired several times. At the beginning of the novel, Minny has an unbridled hatred for white people, though she is forced to grapple with that hatred when she begins working for Celia Foote. Minny is quick to assume that Celia is first lazy and then an alcoholic. She is surprised to find Celia is dealing with difficulties keeping a pregnancy to term, a challenge Minny herself has never had to face. Minny is further shocked when Celia saves Minny’s life from an intruder. Her relationship with Celia leads Minny to understand that the divide between races is not as deep as she previously thought.

Though Minny puts on a tough exterior, on the inside she cares deeply for her family and her community. She is inspired to be interviewed by Skeeter in the hopes of providing a better future for her children, though in a practical instead of idealistic way. Minny assumes her daughters will work as maids, though she hopes Skeeter’s book changes the way white women treat their maids. After Yule May goes to jail, Minny is the one who encourages other maids to talk to Skeeter, hoping their children can avoid the same fate as Yule May. Minny takes on the greatest personal risk by including the story about the pie in Skeeter’s book to protect the other maids. However, the one person Minny remains afraid of is her husband, Leroy. Although she is not afraid to assert her power in any other circumstance, Minny does not know how to leave her abusive marriage. In the end, she finds the strength and confidence she needs both from her participation in Skeeter’s book and her secured employment with Celia and leaves Leroy for good. Minny’s arc shows that telling the truth can lead to change not only on a societal level but on an individual level as well.