Dear Officer,
I am writing to express my outrage at your mistrust of me. You think that because of my race or my job that I am going to steal? If I were white, would you stop me? I should think not. I beg you to not draw hasty conclusions or accusations simply because of the color of my skin. Yes, there are people who steal. But thieves are prevalent among every race.
I am not a child who needs “checking up” on.
You don’t understand how liberating it is to finally have a choice in my wardrobe, to be able to keep up with the fashions of the time. Fashion can be an equalizer despite all of the other inequalities--it’s a way of reclaiming my womanhood. But the finery that acceptably adorns a white body is scorned as immoral or promiscuous on mine. You might see my lifestyle, my love for the music and dancing of the saloons and dance halls, as immoral. But it's a way of reclaiming my life.
You can’t strip me of my dignity like that anymore.
Sincerely,
Willie Mae Cartwright
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