Assignment: Choose a map by Dr. Stephen Robertson and write a review.
Map: Prostitution Arrests
Link: https://digitalharlemblog.wordpress.com/2009/10/05/prostitution-arrests/
In his article, “Putting Harlem on the Map,” Dr. Robertson describes many challenges that he faced white trying to create his many maps. When looking at the Prostitution Arrests maps, it reminds me of the difficulty Robertson faced collecting and organizing data. This challenge was primarily due to the sheer volume of information there was for Robertson to sort through and organize in a way that was beneficial to both his research and the audience. The solutions to this problem Robertson came to was for him and his colleagues to develop a better online database that would better serve their purpose.
The Prostitution Arrests blog post and maps give a detailed glance into the lives and patterns of Black prostitutes in Harlem, and how it develops over time. Through this post, I learned a lot about what prostitution looked like for Black women in Harlem, and how some habits and teachings of Black women that I hear and learn today may have applied to the women of 1920s Harlem (particularly the bits about how they rarely took men back to their home, it reminds me of how Black women have never been safe in America). The source Dr. Robertson used to create these maps was a card index file from the Committee of Fourteen, who were a group of abolitionist dedicated to getting rid of Raines tax hotels.
As for the maps in Dr. Robertson’s blog post, the visual is a map view of a city, presumably Harlem, with red symbols marking the locations of prostitute arrests. I think this map is helpful when looking at the patterns of prostitution movements across Harlem, which may help if you were trying to analyze the development of prostitution in the area. As a viewer, the map is easy to decipher and it’s easy to see the patterns and changes over time, so I think it’s helpful overall. In terms of Dr. Robertson’s argument, I think the maps are helpful in conceptualizing the ideas he introduces of why Black prostitutes may have been arrested so much in Harlem. In addition, I think Dr. Robertson’s argument was stronger with the inclusion of the maps rather than without, since having the reader be able to visualize and conceptualize the argument it key to making people understand what you’re trying to say.
Ok Bye 😀
