Speech to graduates — Poro College, St. Louis MO

Before black women began to cultivate beauty, we were called “aunty,” “mammy” . . . and “Jane.” Now we are Miss and Mrs. and we assume dignity, poise, and grace. This physical appearance leads to modesty, thrift, culture, and the acquiring of homes — healthful and attractive.”

Source: Consuming Modernity: Gendered Behavior and Consumerism Before the Baby Boom, by Cheryl Krasnick Warsh (Vancouver: UBC Press) 2013, p. 107.