Pullman Porters and the Rise of Protest Politics in Black America, 1925-1945 (The John Hope Franklin Series in African American History and Culture) - Hardcover

Bates, Beth Tompkins

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0807826146 ISBN 13: 9780807826140

Publisher: The University of North Carolina Press, 2001

Synopsis

Linking the labor movement to African Americans' campaign for racial equality Between World War I and World War II, African Americans' quest for civil rights took on a more aggressive character as a new group of black activists challenged the politics of civility traditionally embraced by old-guard leaders in favor of a more forceful protest strategy. Beth Tompkins Bates traces the rise of this new protest politics - which was grounded in making demands and backing them up with collective action - by focusing on the struggle of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters (BSCP) to form a union in Chicago, headquarters of the Pullman Company. Bates shows how the BSCP overcame initial opposition from most of Chicago's black leaders by linking its union message with the broader social movement for racial equality. As members of BSCP protest networks mobilized the black community around the quest for manhood rights and economic freedom, they broke down resistance to organized labor even as they expanded the boundaries of citizenship to include equal economic opportunity. By the mid-1930s, BSCP protest networks gained platforms at the national level, fusing Brotherhood activities first with those of the National Negro Congress and later with the March on Washington Movement. Lessons learned during this era guided the next generation of activists, who carried the black freedom struggle forward after World War II.

About this title

About the Author

Beth Tompkins Bates is assistant professor of history in the Department of Africana Studies at Wayne State University in Detroit.

Edition details

• Publisher: The University of North Carolina Press
• Publication date: 2001
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0807826146
• ISBN 13: 9780807826140
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 304