The Life of Black Maids in The 1960s Essays -- African American Women,

Harsh, cruel, and stressful are three words to describe the life of African American women domestic workers during the Civil Rights Movement. During the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s, there were many contributions other than just the typical marches, speeches, and violence that everybody hears about. One of the many topics that have not been heard about frequently is the life of the colored maids during this time period. What were black domestic workers? These women worked for many white families usually in the south for practically their whole lives taking care of their employer’s children and working their houses cleaning and doing many other tasks. The life of a black maid had many responsibilities and difficulties that challenged these women on a daily basis. When discussing the background of the many women who became maids, it is often questioned where they came from and when they started working. In almost every black town there were many ladies all over who were maids. As early as 10 years old, these ladies had worked for many white families all over southern states. They started off by just doing simple tasks such as answering doorbells and sweeping the yard. When they start to become older, they learn to become cooks and then eventually are suited to be a maid to white families in the south (History Matters). Firstly, an African American maid raised white children and had many chores while doing so. An experienced black maid quoted on â€Å"History Matters† refers to the amount of work she had to do by saying, â€Å"It’s â€Å"Mammy, do this, â€Å"or â€Å"Mammy, do that,† or â€Å"Mammy do the other,† from my mistress, all the time.† The maids were required to wash, dress, and feed the children more than three times a day. Somet... ...were that they had. Even though they were dealt with many issues, they learned to stick up for themselves knowing the consequences that they would get. Not only did they have many responsibilities, but they had several hardships to deal with. Even later on in the years there was still problems between domestic workers and white employers during the Civil Rights movement and even after it. Even today, discrimination are still going on between different races, genders, etc. To this day, people all over are still willing to fight for their rights. Works Cited History Matters. n.d. 21 April 2014 . Kilen, Mike. The Desmoines Register. 8 October 2012. 25 April 2014 . Sharpless, Vanessa May and Rebecca. UNC Press Blog. n.d. 21 April 2014 . Stockett, Kathrynn. The Help. New York: Penguin Group, 2009.