Prostitution For African American Women Analysis

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Throughout the nineteenth and twentieth century, African American women were limited with equal employment. An area of business that became common for African American women to make a profit off was prostitution. This was controversial during the late nineteenth, early twentieth century as it is today. Prostitution not only deeply effects women, but it also has an impact on black America both past and present. Black women prostituting impacts the black community through the oppression African American women face, the risk of diseases, but also legality matters such as jail.
One area that African American women were oppressed the most was in the employment industry. In “We Must Live Anyhow”, Cynthia Blair discusses the relationship between
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The black community itself at the turn of the twentieth century were not pleased with prostitution itself. An area that would be known as the Black Belt was significant to African American migrants who were settling in Chicago. Many were optimistic and starting new. Women struggling to find non-domestic jobs is a significant reason the black community debated whether prostitution was a proper way to make amends meet. They believed in other money making opportunities that were home-based, such as sewing or hair grooming styles. Yet many women still found it hard to take care of themselves and their family. (Blair 127-128).
There was still a level of inequality between white and black prostitutes. Blair discusses how white women in brothels demanded between five and thirty dollars for their services while most African American women charged between three and five dollars, or often catching themselves bargaining as low as two. This shows the struggle African American faced within prostitution due to both sexual attractions and racial reasons
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As discussed within Michell’s book, Lucas also touches the base of it. There was a significant double standard between prostitutes and the men that they serviced. Not only were those that the women gave services too less likely to be arrested, majority of the men did not have to be tested for any vernal diseases. It did not occur to anyone that men were likely enough to be involved with spreading diseases. Ignoring the obvious fact that men are just as responsible for the spread of vernal diseases shows how women were to blame for almost everything that was negative