| More Than a Job examines northern, urban black women's pursuits of economic rights during the 20th century. It highlights the experiences of African-American mothers, professional women, welfare recipients, businesswomen, and workingwomen in order to understand the economic issues black women faced and the ways in which these women sought to address them. The dissertation considers black women from the context of their homes, workplaces, the city, state, and federal institutions they accessed, as well as the grassroots and national organizations in which they led and participated. Throughout the 20th century, black women waged an undeniable battle for economic justice that has been minimized by scholar's focus on civil rights and social justice campaigns. This dissertation examines black women's economic agendas and strategies, thereby expanding conversations about civil rights activism to include the ways in which black women agitated for a full range of economic rights including access to jobs, educational training, and state resources as well as the freedom to create, own and lead businesses and participate in the consumer market. Additionally, exploring the urban north through the lens of Milwaukee, Wisconsin provides a great opportunity for understanding the context of black women's economic activism. Milwaukee's black population grew tremendously during the World War II period as African Americans migrated north in search of economic freedom. However, black women experienced an economic depression as the jobs they came in search of failed to materialize. During the post-World War II period, poverty enveloped the rapidly growing black community and black women organizers in Milwaukee kept this reality in the forefront of their struggles as they negotiated a racially, politically, and economically unjust urban terrain. Focusing on Milwaukee underscores the importance of including economic activism when examining movements for justice in the United States. |
