They Call me George: The Untold Story of Black Train Porters and the Birth of Modern Canada
Name/Title
They Call me George: The Untold Story of Black Train Porters and the Birth of Modern CanadaEntry/Object ID
2022.309.01Tags
Canadian Pacific, Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters, Railway HistoryScope and Content
Book describing the history of the experience of African American passenger car porters and the rise and creation of the brotherhood of sleeping car porters.Context
The book discusses the mistreatment of African American porters and the struggle for equality and opportunity. Working as a porter was one of the only jobs readily available for African American men, however it included long hours, low wages, and the workers were very discriminated against. The title references being called "George" which became a derogatory word to refer to black porters, since they were seen as so unimportant it was not even worth learning their names.The book is broken down into chapters, they are as follows: 1. Introduction 2. Leaving the Station: Stan Grizzle's Legacy of Social Change 3. The Railways Are Always Hiring: Working in a White Man's Country 4. "Did you ring, Sir?" : Modern Luxury and Black Labour 5. The Coloured Commonwealth: Reckoning with a Racist Past 6. "I Know Nothing About That": Legislating the Colour Line 7. The End of Empire: Reimagining Immigration 8. Pressuring Parliament: A New Kind of Canadian Citizenship 9. A Creolized Country: The Black British of the West Indies 10. Permanent Residence: Social Identity ands the State 11. Demerits and Deadheading: The Rail Companies' Unreasonable Demands 12. An Uphill Battle: Pushing for Policy Changes 13. Fair Consideration: The Porters Gain New Ground 14. The Porters' Final Fight: A Multicultural Country 15. Beyond the Rails: The Battle for Black Identity 16. Conclusion: A Multicultural Brotherhood Fulfilling a DreamCollection
Canadian Pacific History, Railway History, GeneralCataloged By
Kat BezaireCategory
Secondary Source