Non-Violent Labor & Civil Rights Pioneer: A. Philip Randolph

For Labor Day: 

Learn about A. Philip Randolph, nonviolent labor organizer and civil rights pioneer (1889-1979).  Randolph founded and led the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters.  He bucked race barriers to build this organization of black workers into a strong and successful one, earning a contract in 1937 with the Pullman Company.  When Randolph told President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1941 that he would lead an anti-discrimination protest march on Washington, D.C., Roosevelt issued an executive order against discrimination in federal agencies, creating the Fair Employment Practices Committee.  Teach your students about the life and work of A. Philip Randolph

Link to short biography: http://www.biography.com/people/a-philip-randolph-9451623

Link to article on Pullman Porters and Randolph's organizing role: http://atlantablackstar.com/2012/09/03/a-philip-randolph-brotherhood-of-sleeping-car-porters-and-the-black-labor-movement/