A. Philip Randolph. 1889 - 1979

The Pullman Palace Car Company built "Hotels on Wheels" that enabled travelers to take long rail trips in comfort. But the 20,000 African-Americans porters who catered to their eating, sleeping and grooming needs had to log 11,000 miles or 400 hours every month to earn full pay.

In 1925, Randolph began organizing them into the Brotherhood of Sleeping Porters which became the first African-American labor union to win a collective bargaining agreement and to gain a charter from the American Federation of Labor (AFL).

He later observed that "the overwhelming majority of blacks are workers and organized labor is the home of working men. . .so blacks and labor are natural allies."

MEDIUM: 1 photographic print.

CREATED/PUBLISHED: 1963.

CREATOR: Bottega, John, staff photographer, the World Telegram & Sun

Housed in the Prints and Photographs Division, Library of Congress

Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 weeks.

Product #: aphra