Pullman Porters
Imagine that you have grown up an enslaved person, and you have just learned that your life of slavery is ending. The states that used slavery have lost their war that would have allowed them to continue slavery if they had won it. You are no longer someone's property like a boot or a cow. That's wonderful, but what do you do now? That was the question that many people were asking themselves. What exactly do I do now that I am free? Where shall I go? How will I live my life?
The answer for some of the men came from George M. Pullman. Pullman built special railroad cars where passengers could eat and sleep comfortably as they traveled across the country. He offered jobs to former slaves, especially those who had worked inside their owners' homes. He figured they would know how to serve his customers.
The porters understood how to take care of people and how to handle a wide variety of situations. They served meals, made beds, repaired heaters, carried baggage, shined shoes, and took care of emergencies. They were there when passengers were born, when they married, and when they died. They were there during floods, fires, and derailments. Pullman porters did what needed to be done in all kinds of situations
Porters worked long hours and did many different kinds of jobs on the Pullman cars. They carried bags, served meals, and changed the passenger seats into beds. When passengers were upset, a porter listened to their problem and many times fixed it. If there was something wrong with a water faucet, a toilet, or a heater, the porter took care of it. If a passenger wanted a porter to act like a monkey to let the passenger get a good laugh, he felt that he had to do it. These are a few of the things that made the job difficult.
But even with all the difficulties of being a porter, it was one of the best jobs that a black man could get in the late 1800s and on through the 1950s. Even though his pay was low compared to white people, he made more than most African Americans. Even though most passengers thought of him as someone who was not as important as they were, he got to travel many places, see many things, and be among all kinds of people.
In the black community, he was very respected. People knew that he had knowledge of many things and made good money compared to others in their community. Also, he could do a great service by recommending someone to the Pullman company to become a porter. That was the way a man could become a porter.
Information provided by Walter Eskridge, Curator of Education
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