Half a Man: The Status of the Negro in New York — John Shaqi
Half a Man: The Status of the Negro in New YorkOvington, Mary White
History
Half a Man: The Status of the Negro in New York
Ovington, Mary White
African Americans -- New York (State) -- New York
I have made two divisions of this census list; the first includes those
occupations requiring intellectual skill and carrying with them some
social position, the second, those demanding only manual work. It is in
the second that the colored man finds a place, and as a porter he
numbers 2143, and reaches almost as high a percentage as the waiter and
servant. Porters' positions are paid from five to fifteen dollars a
week, the man receiving the latter wage performing also the duties of
shipping clerk. There is some opportunity for advance, always within the
basement, and there are regular hours and a fairly steady job.
The heading of draymen, hackmen, and teamsters, with 28 colored in every
thousand, shows that the Negro has not lost his place as a driver. The
chauffeur does not appear in the census, but the Negro is steadily
increasing in numbers in this occupation, and conducts three garages of
his own.
The last census division to be considered in this chapter is that of
Manufacturing and Mechanical Pursuits.
MANUFACTURING AND MECHANICAL PURSUITS
Key to Column Headers--
A: Total number of males in each occupation.
B: Number of Negroes in each occupation.
C: Number of Negroes to each 1000 workers in occupation.
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| A | B | C
--------------------------------------+---------+-------+----
Engineers, firemen (not locomotive) | 16,579 | 227 | 14
Masons (brick and stone) | 12,913 | 94 | 7
Painters, glaziers, and varnishers | 27,135 | 177 | 6
Plasterers | 4,019 | 51 | 12
Blacksmiths | 7,289 | 29 | 4
Butchers | 12,643 | 31 | 2
Carpenters and joiners | 29,904 | 94 | 3
Iron and steel workers | 10,372 | 40 | 4
Paper hangers | 962 | 18 | 19
Photographers | 1,590 | 22 | 14
Plumbers, gas and steam fitters | 16,614 | 31 | 2
Printers, lithographers, and pressmen | 21,521 | 53 | 2
Tailors | 56,094 | 69 | 1
Tobacco and cigar factory operators | 11,689 | 189 | 16
Fishermen and oystermen | 1,439 | 65 | 45
Miners and quarrymen | 326 | 21 | 64
Machinists | 17,241 | 47 | 3
| | |
Total, including some occupations | | |
not specified |419,594 | 1774 | 4
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Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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