The son of a minister, he grew up in Florida before moving north to attend the City College of New York. Believing the labor movement offered African-Americans the best hope for social progress, he led organizing efforts among steamship waiters, shipyard workers and elevator operators. He founded the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters in 1925 and served as its president for more than forty years. Against fierce opposition from the Pullman Co., the Brotherhood gained a foothold and eventually negotiated its first contract in 1937. In later years, he served on the executive council of the AFL-CIO and fought to break down racial barriers within the labor movement.
Randolph also played a leading role in early civil rights efforts. Through his magazine The Messenger (founded 1917), he participated in debates among African-American intellectuals and activists. He criticized Marcus Garvey's back-to-Africa message, instead promoting a philosophy of socialism, labor unionism, integration and civil disobedience. In 1935, he served on New York City's Commission on Race. In 1941, he organized a march in Washington which successfully pressured Roosevelt to ban job discrimination in wartime hiring. During World War II, he led the chorus of criticism against military segregation, which ultimately pushed Truman to order full integration of the armed forces in 1948. In 1963, he helped organize the famous civil rights march in Washington.
SOURCES: Cambridge Dictionary of American Biography; Encyclopedia of American Biography. |
