The poem is set in the Black neighborhood of Harlem in New York City, or what the speaker calls “Negro Harlem” (2). In the early twentieth century, Harlem was considered the center of Black life and culture, featuring prominently is novels, poetry, plays, and nonfiction. McKay situates the poem not within the entirety of Harlem, but specifically within the “shadows” of Harlem. McKay specifically represents the underside of Harlem, a Harlem which was not generally depicted in literature. In this case, that underside is the labor of Black women who are forced into sex work due to the lack of economic opportunity for Black Americans.