Colored Amazons

Explore the groundbreaking historical analysis of the persecution and imprisonment of black women in Philadelphia at the turn of the twentieth century in this book. With a focus on reconstructing the crimes and representations of black women in the popular press, author Kali N. Gross highlights the way in which both the state and the perpetrators jointly constructed black female crime. Using a variety of sources, including prison records, trial transcripts and rare photographs, Gross delves into the social position of black women in relation to other groups in the city, shedding light on the experiences, ambitions, and frustrations of these marginalized individuals. Ultimately, this book reveals the gap between the political rhetoric of democracy and the legal and social realities experienced by those deemed to be outside the norm.