What establishment was known for serving white clientele while having black workers, thus highlighting racial hierarchies?

The Cotton Club is well known for its role in showcasing the stark racial divides present in American society during the era of segregation, particularly in the 1920s and 1930s in Harlem, New York. Although it featured some of the most famous African American performers of the time, such as Duke Ellington and Louis Armstrong, the club exclusively served white patrons. This establishment embraced a racially discriminatory policy that exemplified the social hierarchies and segregation prevalent in the United States during this period. The presence of black entertainers performing for a white audience starkly illustrated the complexities of racial dynamics, where African Americans were celebrated for their talent yet excluded from equal participation as customers in the very venues that showcased their work.

Other options, while notable in their own rights, do not encapsulate the same explicit racial contradictions embodied by the Cotton Club. The Apollo Theater, for instance, hosted African American performers but had a predominantly mixed audience, and the Savoy Ballroom was known for its integrated dance scene. The Village Vanguard, primarily a jazz club, also did not share the same explicitly segregated practices as the Cotton Club. Thus, the Cotton Club stands out as a prime example of how entertainment intersected with racial hierarchies in America.