The Roaring Twenties ushered in a prosperous time when jazz flourished, and modern young women known as “flappers” wore flashy attire and popularized boisterous dances like the Charleston. Of note, during this post-World War I era, the Pullman Company, whose founder George Pullman, designed the sleeping car in the 1880s in Chicago, earned the distinction of being the largest single employer of African American men. Both proud and professional, these men were known individually as the Pullman Porter, the concierge of first class passenger rail service. These refined men of service took on the responsibility of overseeing sleeping cars (a railroad car with accommodations for sleeping). This included “making down” berths (bunk beds) at night and “making up” berths into seating in the morning, assisting passengers with their luggage and answering the call of duty at any hour.
The era of the Pullman Porter played a major part in our economic progression as a means for the exodus of African Americans from the South to the North, laying the foundation for the black middle class. Halfway through the 1920s, the Pullman Porters knew they were a major influence in the workforce, so they organized and sought the leadership of A. Philip Randolph, who founded the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters in 1925 in New York City. This elite class of black workers, who traveled around the country, unionized and upgraded their working conditions by lobbying for job security and a mutually beneficial agreement for food, lodging and uniforms while on the job. They even gained a charter in the American Federation of Labor, a first for black unions.
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