Talk with You Like a Woman: African American Women, Justice, and Reform in New York, 1890-1935 (Gender and American Culture)

Talk with You Like a Woman: African American Women, Justice, and Reform in New York, 1890-1935 (Gender and American Culture)

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. “A remarkable collection of individual stories . . . . Hicks succeeds in opening up a new conversation about early twentieth-century New York, one in which black working-class women’s voices are finally heard.” — American Historical Review “A masterly study of black women, reform, and the criminal justice system.” — Journal of American History “Hicks gives voice to women who have not been studied thus far. Recommended.” — CHOICE “This creative, cross-disciplinary book will make significant contributions to African American and women’s history, as well as sociology and legal studies. Hicks brings a fresh perspective to under-researched topics and much-needed revision to long-held assumptions about the dynamics of class and moral reform issues among African Americans.” — Tera Hunter, author of To 'Joy My Freedom: Southern Black Women’s Lives and Labors after the Civil War Dreams and expectations of black working-class women in New York 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. 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. Through their actions as well as their words, black working-class women challenged prevailing views regarding black women and morality in urban America. 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. 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. Through their actions as well as their words, black working-class women challenged prevailing views regarding black women and morality in urban America. Cheryl D. Hicks is assistant professor of history at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Used Book in Good Condition