ShmoopTube

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[Dino and Coop singing]

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If you've ever taken an overnight trip before, you're probably painfully aware of how hard [Car drives past welcome to New York City sign]

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it can be to get some shut eye…

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Whether you're crammed into the back of your parents' mini-van... [Family crammed into car with a dog and luggage]

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Or squished between two strangers on a cross-country flight...

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Catching the Z's can seem pretty much impossible. [Angry looking old man]

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But fear not!

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Sleep and travel can sometimes go hand-in-hand, thanks to the sleeping cars on trains. [Kid asleep holding his teddy bear]

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And today we'll be talking about the people who worked on these cars...

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Pullman Porters.

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So what exactly is a porter?

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Well, in the simplest of terms, a porter is someone who helps the train's guests with [Coop pointing at a blackboard]

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their luggage and whatever else they might need a hand with.

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A Pullman porter, then, is a porter who works specifically in sleeping cars. [Dino pointing at a blackboard]

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They're probably tasked with the super important jobs of delivering warm milk and reading bed [Porter carrying a tray of books with a glass of milk]

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time stories…

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They were named after George Pullman, the inventor and manufacturer of train sleeping cars.

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Now you may be thinking, “Wow, do we really need a whole lesson on train porters?” [School kids looking unenthusiastic]

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But here's the thing: Pullman Porters came about after the end of the Civil War, and

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up until the middle of the 20th century, they were only black men. [Painting of old Pullman Porter]

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Also important to note: the only people who were staying in these Pullman sleeper cars

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were middle class white people.

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Now you might be thinking that this doesn't look great.

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After all, we just ended slavery, so why are African American men still serving white people? [Picture of the abolition of slavery act]

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And you'd be right – this period wasn't exactly a shining moment for racial equality. [White people walking away]

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But here's the thing: George Pullman was intentionally hiring ex-slaves as porters in order to give

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black men an opportunity for real work.

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This helped to begin the development of the black middle class of America. [People working in a kitchen on one of the cars]

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And sure, the pay wasn't exactly great – but it was one of the best jobs available to African

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American men at the time.

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What's more, these porters formed the very first black worker's union under the leadership

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and direction of A. Phillip Randolph. [Picture of Randolph]

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This union, called the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters, played a huge role in the Civil

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Rights Movement of the United States, so it's importance can't be overstated. [Picture of the union protesting]

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All in all, Pullmans Porters and the BSCP were all important parts of building the

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post-Civil-War America we know today.

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And that's the kind of news that helps us sleep well at night…even if we're smashed [Girl sleeping]

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between two strangers on a red-eye. [Angry looking old guy]

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