Issac Kimbro
An Oklahoman by the name of Issac Kimbro worked for thirteen years as a Pullman porter from 1941 to 1954. He had the opportunity to talk to his passengers which included bankers, lawyers, doctors, executives and politicians. From them, he learned about the special things that they knew, things that most black folk did not know. He said that a few porters “bowed and scraped as Uncle Toms”, but that he stood his ground with passengers. That means that he knew of porters who did things that made them appear foolish in order to make passengers happy. Issac was able to please his passengers without having to do that.
This was a time when much of America was rigidly segregated. Blacks and whites did not use the same restroom, water fountain, or seats in a theater or restaurant. This was particularly true in the South. Issac knew that when he was in the South, the rules on segregation were very strict, and he had to follow those rules. Mr. Kimbro said that if you were in a place where there were no colored restrooms, and you needed to go, you had a big problem.
Most black passengers did not ride Pullman cars because they cost more. It was like the difference between flying in the first class section or the coach section of an airplane today. Although, black people who did pay the extra money and rode the Pullman car were treated just as well as anyone else would have been.
In a normal workday, Issac worked twenty hours and had four hours to sleep. When he slept, the porters on neighboring Pullman cars would take care of Issac’s passengers, and when a neighboring porter slept, Issac took care of his car. Issac Kimbro was paid 55 cents an hour in his twenty hour workday. But that was better than the 30 cents an hour that he was making before going to work for Pullman. Sometimes tips were good though. He received a tip of $40 for taking care of the family of the president of the New York Central Railroad as they traveled from New York City to Oklahoma City. Also Issac was able to read people. He could study a person and know the kind of service that person wanted. Using that knowledge, he could get a good tip.
Just So You Know: The value of $0.55 in 1941 would be equal to $7.00 today.
Information provided by Walter Eskridge, Curator of Education
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