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Kids CORNER
Welcome to “Kids Corner,” a new feature for our younger readers.
In each issue, as space allows, we’ll have children’s stories and games relating to unions and the labor movement.
Remembering A. Philip Randolph
February is Black History Month, a time to honor the countless sacrifices and contributions African-Americans have made to better our country.
One of the labor movement’s many black heroes is A. Philip Randolph, a civil rights and union leader who spent his life fighting for justice for all Americans.
Born in 1889, Asa Randolph was a preacher’s son. He grew up in Florida, but left the south as a young man because there were so few opportunities for blacks. He settled in Harlem in New York City, joining thousands of other African-Americans. He went to college at night and got involved in political activities at school.
In 1917, he launched a monthly magazine, “Messenger,” focusing on economic and political action among America’s blacks. It sold for 15 cents a copy.
In 1925, a group of sleeping car porters asked Mr. Randolph to help them organize a union to improve their working conditions and wages. The porters, all black men, worked for the Pullman Company, which owned the sleeping cars on passenger trains. Porters carried bags, made beds and cleaned the cars. They also shined shoes and performed other services they weren’t paid for, making them feel more like servants than employees.
Called the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters, the organization grew under Mr. Randolph’s leadership. The company tried to stop the union’s organizing campaign by threatening and firing workers, but the porters didn’t give up. In 1937, the company finally signed a contract, agreeing to raise the porters’ wages and cut their long work hours in half. It was the first time in America’s history that a white employer had signed an agreement with a black union leader.
After the victory, Mr. Randolph was widely recognized as a labor leader. In 1940, he toured the country to build support for a march in Washington D.C. to force the federal government to stop discriminating against blacks who worked in the defense industry. The march was cancelled after President Franklin Roosevelt signed an order banning such discrimination.
In 1947, Mr. Randolph fought to end segregation — the separation of white and black troops — in the U.S. military. He urged blacks to boycott the armed services by refusing to register for the draft. The boycott was a victory, forcing President Harry Truman to sign an order banning discrimination and segregation in the military.
In 1955, Mr. Randolph was elected to be the first black vice president of the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organization, the AFL-CIO.
He organized many marches and demonstrations, including the “March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom” in 1963. More than 250,000 Americans participated. The march was where civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. made his famous “I Have a Dream” speech.
In 1964, Mr. Randolph’s lifetime of work was recognized with a Medal of Freedom, presented by President Lyndon Johnson. The medal is the country’s highest award for civilians.
A year later, Mr. Randolph founded the A. Philip Randolph Institute, an organization to enhance the role African-Americans play in their communities and in labor unions.
Mr. Randolph died in 1979, a few weeks before his 90th birthday. His work continues through the institute.
For Young Readers: CWA Essay Contest
What’s cool about being a part of a union family? Think about it, and tell the CWA News.
The CWA News is calling on all our younger readers — anyone 18 or younger can participate — to tell us “What the Union Means to My Family,” in an essay of 350 words or less.
The rules are simple. Essays can be written by hand or typed on a computer, and should be submitted for one of these three age categories: under 12 years, 13-15 years, and 16-18 years.
Mail your essay by May 15, 2001, to:
Winning authors in each category will receive a $100 savings bond; second-place winners will receive a $50 savings bond. All the winners will be announced in June and the top essays will be published in the CWA News.
Good luck!
In each issue, as space allows, we’ll have children’s stories and games relating to unions and the labor movement.
Remembering A. Philip Randolph
February is Black History Month, a time to honor the countless sacrifices and contributions African-Americans have made to better our country.
One of the labor movement’s many black heroes is A. Philip Randolph, a civil rights and union leader who spent his life fighting for justice for all Americans.
Born in 1889, Asa Randolph was a preacher’s son. He grew up in Florida, but left the south as a young man because there were so few opportunities for blacks. He settled in Harlem in New York City, joining thousands of other African-Americans. He went to college at night and got involved in political activities at school.
In 1917, he launched a monthly magazine, “Messenger,” focusing on economic and political action among America’s blacks. It sold for 15 cents a copy.
In 1925, a group of sleeping car porters asked Mr. Randolph to help them organize a union to improve their working conditions and wages. The porters, all black men, worked for the Pullman Company, which owned the sleeping cars on passenger trains. Porters carried bags, made beds and cleaned the cars. They also shined shoes and performed other services they weren’t paid for, making them feel more like servants than employees.
Called the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters, the organization grew under Mr. Randolph’s leadership. The company tried to stop the union’s organizing campaign by threatening and firing workers, but the porters didn’t give up. In 1937, the company finally signed a contract, agreeing to raise the porters’ wages and cut their long work hours in half. It was the first time in America’s history that a white employer had signed an agreement with a black union leader.
After the victory, Mr. Randolph was widely recognized as a labor leader. In 1940, he toured the country to build support for a march in Washington D.C. to force the federal government to stop discriminating against blacks who worked in the defense industry. The march was cancelled after President Franklin Roosevelt signed an order banning such discrimination.
In 1947, Mr. Randolph fought to end segregation — the separation of white and black troops — in the U.S. military. He urged blacks to boycott the armed services by refusing to register for the draft. The boycott was a victory, forcing President Harry Truman to sign an order banning discrimination and segregation in the military.
In 1955, Mr. Randolph was elected to be the first black vice president of the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organization, the AFL-CIO.
He organized many marches and demonstrations, including the “March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom” in 1963. More than 250,000 Americans participated. The march was where civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. made his famous “I Have a Dream” speech.
In 1964, Mr. Randolph’s lifetime of work was recognized with a Medal of Freedom, presented by President Lyndon Johnson. The medal is the country’s highest award for civilians.
A year later, Mr. Randolph founded the A. Philip Randolph Institute, an organization to enhance the role African-Americans play in their communities and in labor unions.
Mr. Randolph died in 1979, a few weeks before his 90th birthday. His work continues through the institute.
For Young Readers: CWA Essay Contest
What’s cool about being a part of a union family? Think about it, and tell the CWA News.
The CWA News is calling on all our younger readers — anyone 18 or younger can participate — to tell us “What the Union Means to My Family,” in an essay of 350 words or less.
The rules are simple. Essays can be written by hand or typed on a computer, and should be submitted for one of these three age categories: under 12 years, 13-15 years, and 16-18 years.
Mail your essay by May 15, 2001, to:
- CWA News Essay Contest
Attention: Janelle Hartman
501 3rd Street, N.W.
Washington, DC 20001.
Winning authors in each category will receive a $100 savings bond; second-place winners will receive a $50 savings bond. All the winners will be announced in June and the top essays will be published in the CWA News.
Good luck!