Let Freedom Ride the Rails

[African-Americana - Civil Rights Movement - Railroad History - Labor] National Negro Labor Council

Published by National Negro Labor Council, Detroit, Michigan, 1954

About this Item

A small illustrated pamphlet published by the National Negro Labor Council discussing Jim Crow and the history of Black labor in American railroads: "Jim crow in its crudest form prevails on the nation's railroads, North and South. Nine out of ten Negro railroad workers are in common labor and service categories-as waiters, gang laborers, car cleaners, pullman porters, cooks, red caps, baggagemen. "Negroes are flagrantly excluded from jobs like telegrapher, dispatcher, ticket agent, and other office personnel. There are no Negro conductors, no Negro engineers, and only a handful of Negro roundhouse and maintenance men. Negro women are almost 100% excluded from railroad employment. "But it wasn't always so "For many decades, the heritage of John Henry was a strong one, and tens of thousands of Negro workers contributed to the running of the nation's railroads in almost every phase of these operations. [.]" The National Negro Labor Council was formed in 1951 by a group of Black union activists, including the United Electrical, Radio, and Machine Workers of America's Ernest Thompson, United Auto Workers' Bill Hood, and the Amalgamated Clothing Workers' Coleman Young. Young, who is blurbed on the inside cover of the pamphlet as the group's executive secretary, would serve as Detroit mayor from 1974 to 1994. The NNLC was frequently accused of being a Communist front organization-including by prominent members of the AFL and CIO-and was called before the Subversive Activities Control Board in 1956. Running up unpayable legal bills, the organization voted that year to dissolve itself. . 24 page booklet measuring 5 ¼ x 8 ? inches, in paper wraps. Wear to edges of wraps with some stains, small manuscript markings on the back cover. Contents excellent.

Seller Inventory # List3811

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Let Freedom Ride the Rails
• Publisher: National Negro Labor Council, Detroit, Michigan
• Publication Date: 1954
• Language: English
• Binding: Soft cover
• Condition: Overall excellent.
• Seller catalogs:
  • Americana - General
  • Ephemera
  • Rare Books