Kitty learned that it was under that spirit that Blair House operated: to champion the rights of Negro women, whose burdens were doubled, being Negro and female. Their needs were often overshadowed or ignored by everyone, even their men, who were depleted, depressed, and often dependent mentally, spiritually, and economically. The virulence against Negro men was pressing, and as their ability to support their families as head of the household was inhibited, it was Negro women who had to take up the slack and absorb the shock of the blows they faced.
