why am I here

On August 23, 1860, the Philadelphia Public Ledger covered an unusual exchange that took place in the city’s Court of Oyer and Terminer. Georgiana Coleman, a black woman accused of stealing ten dollars from a white man, not only admitted her guilt but also declared her intention to repeat the crime in the future. Arrested for playing the “badger game,” a crime whereby women posing as prostitutes lured, subdued, and robbed would-be patrons, Coleman articulated a rather defiant stance. She promised to victimize “any white man” who attempted to purchase her services. Normally, this kind of press coverage would point to journalistic hyperbole rather than actual comments made by a perpetrator. In this instance, however, what seems even more surprising than her purported declaration was Coleman’s sentence. Rather than eliciting severe punishment for her crime or lack of racial deference, Coleman went home a free woman—and this was not the first time. Some five months earlier, another judge dismissed similar charges against Coleman.

Apparently agreeing with her sentiment, justices routinely “ignored” charges against Black female badgers. Magistrates often adopted the attitude that white men who would patronize Black prostitutes got what they deserved.