“Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” It’s in the Constitution. “All men are created equal.”
That’s there too. Between 1910 and 1970 over six million African Americans, realizing these
promises did not pertain to them, left the back-breaking Jim Crow cotton fields and violence of
the South, seeking more job opportunities and hopes of a better quality of life. Cities such as
Chi-town, Philly, Newark and Detroit City drew them in like bees to nectar. Little did they know
of the racism and oppression that existed in the North. Black women were relegated to either
the harsh realities of the relentless, body and soul breaking work of the assembly lines, or yet
again working for whites as domestics earning a paltry wage that one could barely live on.

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The domestic worker or “girl” as they were often referred to, were women who, after cleaning
the homes, cooking the meals and in some instances caring for the children of white
employees, returned home in the evening, or sometimes on the weekend to care for their own
families. Many of these strong women had homes, spouses and children who loved and
depended upon them.

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More often than not, domestic workers were “invisible” to their employers. They were thought
of as merely “the help”. However, within their communities, these women were highly
regarded, respected and admired for their skills and gifts. They were the go-to people for a
mouthwatering meal, a stylish hairdo, handmade Easter dresses, or crocheted dollies. They
were the ladies who welcomed parishioners into Sunday church service, took part in civil rights
demonstrations to fight for equality, or guided you the hottest local dance spots.

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Each of the six vignettes in this installation contain a bus ticket from various cities throughout
the county and a purse surrounded by the items that a domestic worker might have carried or
used to fulfill their chosen ambition. They passed down stories, some humorous, some sad,
but all memorable. The vignettes do not represent any one person or specific decade.
However, they do portray just a fraction of the passions embraced by domestic workers around
the world.