Being a Pullman porter was a highly respected and coveted job in the Black community. Many formerly enslaved people worked as porters, an excellent way to lift their families out of poverty. But not everything about the job was sweet.
Porters routinely served white passengers who treated them with contempt. One of the most commonplace practices was to address a porter as “boy” or “George.” Refusing to call a porter by his name was both disrespectful and racist.
George Pullman was the designer of the sleeping car. Much like enslavers who forced their family names onto the people they’d enslaved, these bigots made Black porters answer to a name that wasn’t theirs.
The porters unionized in the 1930s and fought to introduce name badges. It was a start, but it hasn’t ended discriminatory treatment; Black workers are still the most likely to face discrimination. But we can keep organizing and fighting against it together.
Our names and our value don’t depend upon the white gaze. Collectively and individually, the power we bestow on each other is what defines us. Call us by our names: Black. Proud. Community.