R12294-276-X

Funeral service for Rosina Tucker. <60mn>

J.L. Robbins retirement party, including a speech by Stanley Grizzle. <102mn>

Interviews of Marcus [?] and an unidentified person by Stanley Grizzle, a phone conversation about a Jamaican student visa, and other answering machine messages. <87mn>

Interviews of Clarence Este, Joe Sealy and Evelyn Braxton by Stanley Grizzle on the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters. <90mn>

Clarence Coleman speaks about the process of labour organizing that led to the creation of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters. He also discusses working conditions and some of his more memorable passengers.

There are interviews with two individuals in this recording. Frank Collins begins by recounting the history of the drive to create the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters, and the role he played as one of the main union organizers in Vancouver. He speaks about the CPR demerit system used to reprimand porters, and the struggle to be respected on the job before and after the founding of the union, noting how the BSCP created cohesion among Black communities across Canada and led to the founding of other national Black organizations. Roy Williams [Second sound file, begins at 00:12:35] discusses his family’s immigration from Waco, Texas, to Battleford, Saskatchewan in 1911 and then turns to his employment as a porter by the Canadian Pacific Railway. He speaks about the Porters’ Welfare Committee, which was a company body that insufficiently responded to porters’ needs prior to the establishment of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters, the union that Williams helped to establish in Calgary. He then proceeds to outline what were conditions were like prior to and after unionization, noting the long hours and insufficient pay, alongside racism.

Bill Overton speaks about his every day and labour experiences on and off the railway from 1909 to 1954. Immigrating from Cambridge, Massachusetts, to Toronto, this interview details the Black experience in Canada as well as the realities of unionization in both the Canadian National Railway and the Canadian Pacific Railway.

Mr. Bill Overton begins by describing an early and memorable trip on the Grand Trunk Railway to Niagara Falls, and then recounts some of the common train routes he travelled while speaking about technological innovations on the railway. He also discusses upward mobility among black chefs and dining car stewards, his most memorable passengers, and the realities of unionization as well as porters' working conditions.

Side 1: Mel Grayson provides a detailed discussion of porters’ experiences, including job descriptions for the roles of Porter Instructor, Platform Inspector, Buffet Porter, Road Inspector, Service Instructor, Service Supervisor. This interview speaks to the realities of change given the shift to airplane travel and the opening up of porter hiring practices. Side 2: a brief discussion with Mrs. Grayson, who speaks to the challenges of being away from her husband for long stretches of time.

Side 1: several former porters discuss living and working conditions during the Depression and Second World War and how this job allowed for upward mobility within the Black community. Additionally, interwar tourism, the transportation of Canadian soldiers as well as German prisoners of war, medical emergencies and accidents, the realities of remote Indigenous settlements, retirement, and the notion of railway as family are discussed. Side 2: several porters’ wives are interviewed, enabling them to speak to the impact this job had on them and their families.

Raymond Coker speaks at length about life as a Black man and porter before and after the implementation of the 1953 Fair Employment Practices Act. Despite noting that there has been progress, he makes a point of speaking to the differences between life in Canada and the United States, the realities of “economic strangulation,” and the failures of advancing civil rights.

Raymond Lewis speaks about his role on the Porters’ Welfare Committee, a union established by the CPR prior to the creation of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters. He then expands on the challenges of being a porter, filing grievances, and his personal battle to get time off to compete in the 1932 Olympic Games, at the height of the Depression.

Robert Jamerson shares personal stories as a porter while recounting some of the key figures in the organization of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters.

This sound recording contains interviews with four individuals. Clarence Est [?] speaks to the important role played by the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters and notes how the Ladies’ Auxiliary recruited men into it. He also recounts working alongside White porters, porters’ nicknames, and trends in tipping. Joseph Morris Sealy [begins 00:17:09], who began working for the Canadian Pacific Railway in 1928, recounts his experiences as a porter before and after the establishment of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters. He relays the history of unionization, its origins in Montreal, and his role in the union itself. Evelyn Braxton [Second sound file, begins 00:10:23], who was born in Saint Kitts in 1913 and immigrated to Montreal in 1929, recounts her experiences as President of the Ladies’ Auxiliary of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters, outlining its focus on not only supporting men, but also fighting for freedom, equality and justice for Black citizens. She summarizes the community events she helped organize, which included Mother’s Day teas and socials wherein scholarships, among other awards, were given to recipients. Velma King [Second sound file, begins 00:34:40] speaks to her role in the founding of the Ladies’ Auxiliary of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters (BSCP), outlining the support she provided to the BSCP in her capacity as secretary and president of the Ladies’ Auxiliary and later as an executive member of the International Executive Board. She also summarizes some of the fundraising events held to support scholarships.~[Interview of Mr. Green by Stanley Grizzle on Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters]. <45mn>

This sound recording contains interviews with five individuals. Mrs. Coward King speaks to the work done by the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters and its Ladies’ Auxiliary, highlighting the gendered experiences of porters and their wives and the ways that this job led to upward mobility in Montreal’s Black community. Mr. Clyde Livingston Arthur (begins 00:13:43) details his work on the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) and his involvement in the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters. His narrative also outlines the CPR’s wage structure, trends in tipping, and the experience of working alongside white porters. Mr. George Forray (begins 00:28:01) narrates his experiences as a sleeping car porter for the Canadian Pacific Railway during the Depression and through World War II, recalling patterns in tipping and the experience of working alongside white porters. He also speaks to the work done by the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters, of which he was an elected member, and its Ladies’ Auxiliary. Mrs. Vincent Elaine Russell Padmore (Second sound file, begins 00:24:02) relays her experiences growing up in a porter household with a father who was heavily involved in the Porters’ Mutual Benefit Association. She also discusses her education in Montreal. Clarence Coleman (Second sound file, begins 00:36:20), who was recruited by the Canadian Pacific Railway while residing in Tennessee in 1946, discusses his work as a sleeping car porter. He also relays details about the work done by the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters.

Essex Silas Richard “Dick” Bellamy recalls key leaders in the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters in various districts across Canada and then speaks to the importance of its Ladies’ Auxiliary. In recounting memories of his time on the road, he also tells a story about bootlegging and a memorable search for illicit liquor. Floyd Douglas Tiller [begins at 00:24:02] provides a brief overview of his experiences as a sleeping car porter and his knowledge about the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters. Thomas Lawrence Williams [begins at 00:40:23] speaks about his experiences as a sleeping car porter for the Canadian Pacific Railway, beginning in 1931. His narrative focuses on the Depression, the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters, tipping, and some of his more memorable passengers. Helen Williams Bailey [Second sound file, begins at 00:40:09] speaks about her involvement, as first president, in the Ladies' Auxiliary of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters in Winnipeg. She became involved, initially, to support her brothers, many of whom were sleeping car porters for the Canadian Pacific Railway.

Harold James Fowler speaks to the effectiveness of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters and generally, to the working conditions he experienced as a sleeping car porter. Elsworth Edward Buster Rouse [begins at 00:44:27] provides a general overview of the working conditions of sleeping car porters on the Canadian Pacific Railway. James Laverne Robbins [Second sound file, begins at 00:11:05] details the history of unionization within the Canadian Pacific Railway, and what his experience as a porter was like after the establishment of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters. He also discusses how portering allowed for upward mobility within Canada’s Black community.

Helen Williams Bailey discusses her role as first president of the Ladies’ Auxiliary of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters in Winnipeg. Otis Brown [beings at 00:04:46], who originated from Newbern, Alabama, recounts his experiences as a porter for the Canadian Pacific Railway, and notes the main leaders who helped to establish the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters in various districts in Canada. Aurelius Leon Bennett [begins at 00:19:44] came to Winnipeg, from Memphis, Tennessee, to work as a sleeping car porter for the Canadian Pacific Railway. He speaks to the process of unionization, identifies key union leaders, and highlights why there were tensions between White, many of whom were of Ukrainian descent, and Black porters in his district. Jesse Samuel Hobson [begins at 00:39:54] came to Canada from Danceyville, Tennessee, in response to the wartime labour shortage in 1944. He discusses the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters, some of the changes brought on by unionization, and the presence of White porters among the ranks. Laura Elizabeth Gilberry [Second sound file, begins at 00:02:09] speaks generally about the Ladies’ Auxiliary of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters in Winnipeg. Robert Jamerson [Second sound file, begins at 00:11:44], who came to Canada from Tennessee Colony, Texas, in 1910, relays his experiences, which began during the Depression, as a sleeping car porter for the Canadian Pacific Railway. He also discusses the various roles he played, including President, for the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters in Winnipeg.

This sound recording contains interviews with two individuals. Ivy Lawrence Mayniar speaks about her education to enable her to practice law, noting the gendered and racialized barriers she had to overcome. She also explains her father’s involvement in the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters, as President of the Montreal division, Black women’s paid labour, and the power inherent in Montreal’s and Verdun’s tightknit Black communities. Oliver Davis [begins 00:37:19], who began his career as a porter in 1939, recounts his initial trip as a porter, detailing his joy of seeing Canada for the first time as well as the hardships he faced during his career, which included segregated eating quarters and rude passengers. He also details the process of union organization that led to the development of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters.

This sound recording contains interviews with three individuals. Leo Gaskins discusses his experiences as a sleeping car porter, noting how his father and brothers were also porters while his mother was involved in the Ladies’ Auxiliary of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters. William C. Kingfish Wright [begins at 00:16:24] recounts the time he spent as a young adult as a member of the Harlem Aces, an all-Black orchestra that originated in Toronto, was excluded from the Toronto Musicians’ Union, and travelled to music gigs in small towns throughout Ontario, especially during the summer. He then speaks about his experiences as a porter for the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR), noting the struggles to unionize, key union leaders, the differences between the CPR and Canadian National Railway, and what it was like to be a porter travelling throughout Canada and the United States during the 1950s and 1960s. Leonard Oscar Johnston [Second sound file, begins at 00:24:04] begins by explaining all of the jobs he had as a child, beginning at the age of six. He then proceeds to recount his experiences as a porter for the Canadian Pacific Railway, stressing that while it was a good, stable job, he did not enjoy it. Early working conditions, which included long days and lots of unpaid time, along with illness were some of the reasons why he disliked it. He also speaks about his membership in the Communist Party of Canada and the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters, and how the former impacted his ability to be involved in the union.