“Modesty on Her Cheek”: Black Girls and Great Migration Marketplaces
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Published:February 2015
Chapter 2 considers the growth of two distinct markets during Chicago’s Migration era—the expansion of religious institutions and the explosion of commercial products. Using the language of markets, this chapter reveals how girls interacted with newfound choices about religious life, from abandoning church altogether, to shopping for a community that suited their needs, to encouraging their parents to remain faithful. The chapter highlights how girls’ religious life and parental expectations were at odds with their desire to participate in Chicago’s leisure activities and enjoy consumer goods such as makeup, fashionable clothing, and racy publications. The chapter frames girls’ relationship to the New Negro era and the rise of the Moorish Science Temple as a way of understanding the convergence of religious and commercial marketplaces.
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