A Voice from the South: By a Black Woman of the South

Cooper argues that racial prejudice is only “a sentiment governed by an association of ideas” (136). Racial prejudice is irrational and cannot be countered by rhetoric. She adds that skin color is irrelevant to the inherent worth of a human being. She continues, noting that modern society measures people’s worth depending on their practical and material contributions. To determine a person’s value, however, society must consider their inheritance by the previous generations. For Cooper, people should be praised for making the best of what is available to them. She stresses that labor is what produces material value in society.

Cooper stresses again that education is “the safest and richest investment” (144), as it produces useful people for society. She considers statistics about the state’s investment in schools and the percentages of Black students and graduates, as well as Black educators, ministers, and other professionals. She notes that Black people are doing their best to uplift themselves. She stresses the then-high mortality rates in the African American community, particularly of youth, as well as the lack of proper housing alongside economic struggles. She notes that affordable housing is reserved for the white poor, and she rejects the protests of the Northern labor unions of the period, as she argues that their working conditions are far better than those of the Black workers in the South.