(The following story by Howard French appeared on the Journal-Enquirer website on March 24, 2009.)
MANCHESTER, Conn. — As part of its ongoing commemoration of the contributions of Pullman porters to the development of the nation’s passenger railroad, Amtrak is looking to contact retired Pullman porters living in Connecticut and the rest of Northeast.
According to a statement from Darlene Abubakar, Amtrak’s director of National Advertising, retired Pullman porters, their friends, and family can contact Amtrak by calling Saunya Connelly at (202) 906-4164, Abubakar said.
“Respondents should be prepared to provide the porter’s full name, telephone number, mailing address, age, years of railroad service, and routes – if known,” she said.
Deadline for responding is April 14.
“A ceremony honoring the legendary Pullman porters is scheduled to take place during the celebration of National Train Day on May 9, 2009, at Amtrak’s 30th Street Station in Philadelphia,” Abubakar said. “To date, Amtrak has hosted events to show appreciation for the Pullman Porters in Washington, D.C., Chicago, and Oakland,” she said.
“They are a part of America’s history,” Abubakar said of the army of workers that at its peak numbered 20,000.
“As every year passes, there are fewer and fewer former porters to tell the story of the unique role they played during the development of the nation’s passenger rail service,” she said.
“Amtrak wants to find these extraordinary gentlemen and honor them,” she said.
Pullman porters were considered goodwill ambassadors for America’s railroads, often working under extreme conditions, but always treating passengers with respect, Abubakar said.
“In their heyday in the early part of the 20th century, they were the largest group of employed African-American men in America,” she said.
Their work schedule was grueling, averaging more than 100 hours per week, Abubakar said.
“On meager salaries and tips, they raised families and sent children to college,” she added.
The Pullman Co., founded by George Pullman, manufactured railroad cars from the mid-1800s into the 20th Century and developed sleeping cars that bore the company’s name.
“The Pullman Co. hired African-Americans to work as porters on board their first class cars, and these porters became renowned for their outstanding service,” Abubakar said.
The porters organized into the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters under the leadership of A. Philip Randolph in 1925.
“The Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters was the first labor union led by African-Americans to receive a charter in the American Federation of Labor,” she said.