... Chapter 1 explores the way black Chicagoans addressed the problems of black girls deemed dependent, delinquent, and destitute. The chapter traces the founding of the first orphanage for black children in Illinois, which led to the establishment of the Amada Smith Industrial School for Colored...

... Chapter 3 examines the growth of black girls’ school cultures in Chicago, as well as how black organizations responded to the Great Depression by highlighting girls’ role in economic recovery. The chapter investigates how girls adjusted to Northern schools, how teachers perceived them...

... Chapter 4 ponders the ways in which black girls were considered citizens during the Migration period. The chapter first considers black participation in the Camp Fire Girls, a national camping organization founded to prepare girls to be good citizens and strong mothers. Black women adapted...