Stephanie St. Clair

Stephanie St. Clair was a Harlem numbers operator and civil rights activist who fought to retain control of her illegal lottery business during the 20th century.

Ellsworth Johnson: Ellsworth Raymond Johnson, known as Bumpy Johnson, was a Harlem gangster and organized-crime figure. He became a rival in the struggle for control of Harlem's numbers business.
Numbers game: The numbers game was an illegal lottery in which bettors wagered on numbers selected through a daily drawing. St. Clair's business operated within this widespread, locally organized form of gambling.
Martinique: Martinique is a Caribbean island and an overseas department of France. St. Clair was born in Martinique before making her life and career in New York.
Black women's entrepreneurship: Black women's entrepreneurship encompasses businesses founded and managed by Black women across industries and historical periods. St. Clair's control of a large gambling business challenges narratives that erase Black women from economic power.
Dutch Schultz's murder: Dutch Schultz was shot in Newark in 1935 and died two days later from his wounds. His death ended the most visible threat to St. Clair's control of Harlem's numbers trade.
Dutch Schultz: Dutch Schultz was a New York City gangster who sought to expand his illegal gambling operations into Harlem. His attempt to seize Harlem's numbers trade brought St. Clair into direct conflict with him.
Policy game: The policy game was an illegal lottery that accepted small wagers on numbers, often using published results to determine winners. Harlem's numbers business depended on collecting bets and paying out winnings under rules like these.
Harlem Renaissance: The Harlem Renaissance was a period of flourishing Black art, literature, music, and political thought centered in Harlem during the 1920s and 1930s. St. Clair's rise unfolded in the neighborhood during this period of cultural and political change.
Black civil rights movement: The Black civil rights movement is the broad struggle against racial discrimination and for equal rights in the United States. Her activism linked her local influence to campaigns for Black political and civil rights.
Harlem numbers war: The Harlem numbers war was a struggle among criminal groups for control of illegal lottery operations in Harlem. St. Clair's resistance to outside control became part of this wider contest.

Linked from 1 page

Bumpy JohnsonRelated: Her struggle against Schultz helped establish the Harlem underworld in which Johnson later rose.