With this book, Cheryl Hicks brings to light the voices and
viewpoints of black working-class women, especially southern
migrants, who were the subjects of urban and penal reform in
early-twentieth-century New York. Hicks compares the ideals of
racial uplift and reform programs of middle-class white and black
activists to the experiences and perspectives of those whom they
sought to protect and, often, control.
In need of support as they navigated the discriminatory labor and
housing markets and contended with poverty, maternity, and domestic
violence, black women instead found themselves subject to hostility
from black leaders, urban reformers, and the police. Still, these
black working-class women struggled to uphold their own standards
of respectable womanhood. Through their actions as well as their
words, they challenged prevailing views regarding black women and
morality in urban America. Drawing on extensive archival research,
Hicks explores the complexities of black working-class women's
lives and illuminates the impact of racism and sexism on
early-twentieth-century urban reform and criminal justice
initiatives.