Pullman Car Porters: The Men Named “George”
This year marks the 100th anniversary of the first attempts of black Pullman Car porters to organize a labor union. The Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters was founded by A. Philip Randolph who was their first president in 1937, but the porters began their attempts at organizing in 1909 in Chicago, Illinois.
BlackEnterprise.com did a wonderful article on the Pullman Porters.
And here is a video highlighting their glorious history.
Robin Caldwell
Thank you for the extremely informative and important history of the “golden era” of the railroad and the African American men who made it possible. Several years ago, I came across two pullman porter paper dolls; the one published in the 1930s is named George. Your story helps explain the illustrator’s choice of name. I was unaware that “[W]hite passengers opted to call the porters “George” as a way to dehumanize and objectify them as property of George Pullman.” (source: BlackEnterprise.com, March 2009)
Arabella Grayson
March 13, 2009 at 1:59 am