About Pullman Porters

Rising from near-servitude in the years following the Civil War, Pullman Porters became the backbone of the rail industry and ambassadors of culture between the worlds of privileged whites and the black community. The era of the Pullman Porters, which begins at the abolition of slavery and ends when Pullman ceased its sleeping car service in 1969, encapsulates the evolution of African-Americans from post-slavery disenfranchisement to full participation in the social, economic and political fabric of America.

Just after the Civil War, George Pullman began recruiting black men as porters on his new luxurious rail cars. They were hired not merely because of their strong work ethic and disarming dispositions, but because they epitomized Pullman's vision of safe, reliable, and invisible servants. For over a century, in the intimate confines of railcars that traversed the nation, the Pullman Porter served as waiter, nanny, valet, concierge, and occasionally confidant to well-heeled white passengers. He also endured grueling workloads, daily indignities, and outright humiliations with a duty-bound smile that belied his strength and determination.

With steady jobs and worldly views, Pullman Porters enjoyed a different reputation in black communities. They were respected as stalwarts of the economy and emissaries of news, culture, and ideas from the outside world. They became trailblazers in the struggle for African American dignity and self-sufficiency, patriarchs of black labor unions, and helped give birth to the Civil Rights Movement.