The Railroad and the Rise of the Black Middle Class

While reading Belva Davis' book for the November meeting and surfing the internet for themes about Oakland history and African American history, my attention was drawn to the story of the Pullman Porters and other railroad workers, because Ms. Davis had written about how important railroad employment was for the men in her own family to get out of the South and to earn a better, more stable level of income and set their own family on the path out of poverty.  Here is a short clip about the Pullman Porters.



Here is a longer presentation from "Democracy Now," split into two parts for YouTube, which emphasizes the importance of the Pullman Porters to the labor movement and to the civil rights movement.

Part One:



Part Two: