Pullman porter

Pullman porters were men hired to work on the railroads as porters on sleeping cars. Starting shortly after the American Civil War, George Pullman sought out former slaves to work on his sleeper cars. Pullman porters served American railroads for 100 years from the late 1860s until late in the 20th Century.Until the 1960's, Pullman porters were exclusively black, are widely credited with contributing to the development of the black middle class in America.Under the leadership of A. Philip Randolph, Pullman porters formed the first all-black union, the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters. Formation of the union, in 1925, was instrumental in the advancement of the Civil Rights Movement.