THERE IS A MUSEUM DEDICATED TO THOSE EMPLOYEES WHO MADE THE PULLMAN RAILROAD CAR A CLASS ACT
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WHEN I FIRST CAME TO THIS COMMUNITY, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I RECOGNIZED WAS THAT THERE
WAS A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF
INFORMATION THAT WAS GIVEN AND
DISSEMINATED ABOUT THE COMMUNITY
OF PULLMAN, AND ABOUT GEORGE
PULLMAN, BUT THERE WAS NOTHING
THAT REFLECTED THE AFRICAN
AMERICAN PARTICIPATION OR
EXPERIENCE WITH THE PULLMAN
STORY.
I BELIEVE THAT, AND I DON'T
THINK THAT I AM WRONG, I BELIEVE
THAT THE AFRICAN AMERICAN MEN
WHO WORKED AS PULLMAN PORTERS ON
THE CARS CONTRIBUTED VERY HIGHLY
TO THE SUCCESS OF THE PULLMAN
COMPANY.
THEY TOOK GREAT PRIDE IN THEIR
WORK, AND FOR ALL PRACTICAL
PURPOSES THEY TOOK A MEAN UAL
JOB AND MADE IT SOMETHING OF
SUBSTANCE AND STATURE.
THEY HAD TO WORK -- THEY WERE
REQUIRED TO WORK 400 HOURS PER
MONTH OR 11,000 MILES, WHICHEVER
CAME FIRST.
THE PAY WAS SOMETHING LIKE $60 A
MONTH.
SOME THAT PAID $33 WENT TOWARDS
THE EXPENSES THAT THEY INCURRED
IN PERFORMING THEIR JOB BECAUSE
THEY HAD TO BUY THEIR SUPPLIES.
NOTHING WAS GIVEN TO THEM.
TOWELS THAT THEY USED, THE
SHEETS THAT THEY USED.
WE ARE COLLECTING ORAL HISTORIES
FROM SURVIVING PULLMAN PORTERS
THAT WE ARE ABLE TO MAKE
CONNECTIONS WITH.
>> WHEN I STARTED WORKING, I
ONLY GOT PAID FOR A.M. TIME, NO
P.M. TIME.
BUT MOSTLY WE MADE MONEY FROM
TIPS BECAUSE THEY RUN SOUTH, YOU
DIDN'T MAKE MUCH TIPS.
>> PULLMAN'S PORTERS JOBS WAS A
24 HOUR JOB.
THEY SLEPT FOR MAYBE AN HOUR OR
TWO DURING THE TRIP AND THEY HAD
TO SLEEP SITTING UP.
THEY, IN FACT, HAD TO SLEEP IN
THE SMOKE ROOM.
>> THERE WERE AFRICAN AMERICANS
WHO WERE FIREMEN, AND ENGINEERS,
FOR THE PULLMAN COMPANY.
THE MOST WELL-KNOWN, OF COURSE,
IS THE PULLMAN, PORTER IRK BUT,
THERE WERE IN FACT, MAIDS, AND
FIREMEN AND ENGINEERS.
PHILIP RANDOLPH WAS ONE OF THE
FOUNDERS OF THE BROTHER HOOD OF
SLEEPING CARPORTER HE IS UNION.
PULLMAN CAR MEN TRIED TO FORM A
UNION.
BUT BECAUSE OF THE PRESSURE THAT
THEY RECEIVED AND THE ABUSE THAT
THEY RECEIVED AND THE THREATS OF
LOSING THEIR JOBS THAT THEY
RECEIVED FROM THE PULLMAN
COMPANY, THEY STARTED AND BACKED
OFF AND STARTED AND BACKED OFF.
WHAT THEY REALLY NEEDED WAS
SOMEONE WHO WAS IN FACT NOT A
PULLMAN PORTER AND SOMEONE WHO
WAS ARTICULATE AND SOMEONE WHO
HAD NO STRINGS, PER SE TO THE
PULLMAN COMPANY SO THAT THE
THREAT OF LOSING HIS JOB WOULD
NOT BE A FACTOR IN THEIR
ORGANIZING THE UNION.
SO A GROUP OF THREE GENTLEMEN
WENT TO SEE RANDOLPH.
THEY HAD HEARD ABOUT THIS
GENTLEMAN, WHO, IN FACT, HAD
BEEN WRITING ARTICLES IN A
MAGAZINE THAT THEY WAS THE
PUBLISHER CALLED "THE MESSENGER"
ABOUT THE PULLMAN PORTERS.
THEY WENT TO NEW YORK AND SOUTH
HIM OUT AND TALKED TO HIM ABOUT
THE IDEA OF HIS BEING THE CHIEF
ORGANIZER AND FOUNDING THE
UNION.
HE, IN FACT, ACCEPTED THE TASK,
AND AS THEY SAY THE REST IS
HISTORY BECAUSE HE WAS
SUCCESSFUL IN DOING THAT TO THE
POINT THAT THEY WERE AT ONE
POINT 20,000 STRONG.
THEY WERE THE FIRST AFRICAN
AMERICAN UNION TO BE CHARTERED
THIS THE UNITED STATES AND THEN
ACCEPTED AF OF L.
A BILLING WAS DONATED TO THE
COMMUNITY.
IT IS THE ONLY REMAINING PULLMAN
FIREHOUSE THAT IS INTACT.
IT IS AN ORIGINAL BUILDING, AND
IT WILL BE THE NEW HOME, A FILL
P RANDOLPH MUSEUM.
IT WILL BE A NEW SHEEM AS WELL
AS A CULTURAL CENTER.
THAT A PEOPLE, A GROUP OF MEN
WHO COULD EXPERIENCE THAT KIND
OF IN DIGNITY AND STRESS ON A
JOB AND STAND AND INSPITE OF
THAT MAKE IT A JOB OF SUBSTANCE
TO THE POINT WHERE THEY WERE
RECOGNIZED NATIONALLY AND, IN
FACT, INTERNATIONALLY, THAN THEY
OUGHT TO BE HONORED.
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TO REACH THE PHILIP RANDOLPH PORTER MUSEUM CALL (773)928-3935