Numbers Running in Harlem's Underground Economy

This episode stems from my love of the movie The Wiz. Watching it over and over as a kid I did not realize that Miss One, the Good Witch of the North, is a numbers runner. And, I definitely did not know that numbers running is a real part of gambling and Black history.

As a Black woman running numbers in a fictionalized version of Harlem, Miss One unlocks a lot about the real characters behind Harlem's numbers racket in the early to mid 20th century. One of those characters is Stephanie St. Clair. St. Clair was a numbers queen who captivated the media in her fight against police corruption and White racketeers in Harlem.

Professor Lashawn Harris, author of Sex Workers, Psychics, and Numbers Runners: Black Women in New York City's Underground Economy, joins me to talk about Harlem's underground economy because that too is Black history.

Check out Sex Workers, Psychics, and Numbers Runners: Black Women in New York City's Underground Economy by Dr. Lashawn Harris to learn more!

Music Credit

PeaceLoveSoul by Jeris (c) copyright 2012 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. http://dig.ccmixter.org/files/VJ_Memes/35859 Ft: KungFu (KungFuFrijters)