Kitchenette Building Prejudice Quotes

This is the most blatant example of prejudice in the poem. The kitchenettes were perfect examples of sub-standard living controlled by slumlords, reserved specifically for African-Americans. That Brooks chooses to title the poem "Kitchenette Building" means she probably wants the idea of prejudice at the forefront of readers' minds.

People who lived in kitchenettes were at the mercy of their landlords. If the landlord wanted to jack up the rent, they'd have to deal with it somehow, even if that meant skipping a few meals.

The conditions in the kitchenettes—because there were so many people and so few sanitary services provided (like proper places to dispose of garbage)—were often pretty nasty, thanks to the landlords.

The discriminatory housing policies made it so rent was too high for families to afford more space. They often shared one private room, and then shared bathrooms with many other families.

As you might imagine, there weren't many fancy amenities in the kitchenette buildings. In fact, there wasn't even enough hot water to go around. There were few regulations on how many people a single apartment or floor could have, so hot water ran out quickly. Residents were no strangers to a "refreshing" mid-January cold shower in Chicago. Brrrr.