The World of Stephanie St. Clair: An Entrepreneur, Race Woman and Outlaw in Early Twentieth Century Harlem (Black Studies and Critical Thinking) by Shirley Stewart

Author:Shirley Stewart [Stewart, Shirley]
Language: eng
Format: azw3
Publisher: Peter Lang
Published: 2013-11-01T04:00:00+00:00

← 98 | 99 → CHAPTER FOUR: ACTIVISM, SUFI AND SURVIVAL

Activism

St. Clair’s advertisements informed the Harlem community of the importance of becoming part of the political process. In St. Clair’s battle with Schultz, she realized what Schultz had surmised early on: that although Harlem policy bankers had wealth, affluence and the respect of their community, they did not have the political influence to safeguard their operations or protect their community. On January 17, 1929 St. Clair endorsed the Democratic ticket. Her advocacy contributed to the election of Mayor Jimmy Walker and Judge Thomas Crain.1 Unfortunately, both officials were investigated by the Seabury Commission and ultimately found culpable of illegal activities. Despite St. Clair’s and the Democratic Party’s misplaced allegiance, St. Clair was pushing forward an agenda of black citizens voting for Democratic candidates that supported the goal of political empowerment for the residents of Harlem.

However, there were two problems activists like St. Clair encountered in efforts to make the Harlem community a political force. The first problem involved black immigrants who could not vote because they lacked United States citizenship. To this group, St. Clair directed one of her advertisements. Once again, she addressed the advertisement to “Members of My Race,” and stated that it was a surprise to her that the black population in New York City was approximately 400,000 and that only one in ten were voters. Directing her message to “British subjects” from the British West Indies, she urged them to become full citizens despite racism and discrimination. ← 99 | 100 → She further stated that “it will be for the best if everybody becomes full citizens of the United States.” St. Clair was already working with black immigrants from the French-speaking West Indies to obtain their citizenship through her French Legal Aid Fund.

The other obstacle to effective political action was the voting history of African Americans. Blacks had traditionally voted Lincoln Republican. Especially to the southern migrant, the Democratic Party represented the Confederacy, Jim Crow and white supremacy. The pattern began to change on the national front in 1936, when the majority of black voters changed their party affiliation to the Democratic Party.2 However, both St. Clair and New York City were ahead of the national swing.

Although Tammany Hall worked with Schultz to take over the Harlem rackets, City Hall also supported and encouraged the black New Yorker’s voting switch to the Democratic ticket. As an incentive, City Hall began appointing African Americans to various political posts by the 1920s. Mayor John Hylan (1918–1925) appointed Ferdinand Q. Morton as Chairman of the Civil Service Committee and Mayor Jimmy Walker (1926–1932) increased the number of blacks on the city payroll from 247 to 2,275. Moreover, Harlem had six state assemblymen and several blacks served as Harlem representatives on the Board of Aldermen. The community’s increased involvement in politics made it necessary for the majority of candidates in the mayoral and gubernatorial races to campaign in Harlem during the 1920s.3

The community had one major advantage in achieving St.

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