Author and Journalist Larry Tye discusses his new book "Rising
from the Rails"
Event Date: August 2, 2004
Larry Tye discussed his widely-praised new book, “Rising from the Rails: Pullman Porters and the Making
of the Black Middle Class” (Henry Holt, 2004) on Monday, August 2, 2004.
The presentation was part of the Center for the Book’s “Books & Beyond” author series and is cosponsored
by the Library’s Manuscript Division, which aided Mr. Tye in his research.
“Rising from the Rails” explores the 100-year history of the black men who worked on George Pullman’s
railroad sleeping cars, looking at how they launched the first successful black trade union, helped launch the Civil Rights
movement, and gave birth to today’s African-American middle class. Congressman Jesse L. Jackson said “this book
brings to life the stirring story of the civil rights legacy of A. Phillip Randolph and Pullman porters, which is an inspiration
to those of us following in their footsteps.”
Larry Tye runs the new Health Coverage Fellowship, which is designed to help the media do a better job
covering critical health care issues. From 1986 to 2001, Tye was a reporter at the “Boston Globe,” where he covered
medicine, the environment, sports, and carried out several investigative assignments. He also won a series of national
reporting awards and was a Nieman Fellow at Harvard University in 1993-94.