For jobs and freedom : the selected speeches and writings of A. Philip Randolph

As the head of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters and a tireless advocate for civil rights, A. Philip Randolph (1889--1979) served as a bridge between African Americans and the labor movement. During a public career that spanned more than five decades, he was a leading voice in the struggle for black freedom and social justice, and his powerful words inspired others to join him. This volume documents Randolph's life and work through his own writings. The editors have combed through the files of libraries, manuscript collections, and newspapers, selecting more than seventy published and unpublished pieces that shed light on Randolph's most significant activities. The book is organized thematically around his major interests -- dismantling workplace inequality, expanding civil rights, confronting racial segregation, and building international coalitions. The editors provide a detailed biographical essay that helps to situate the speeches and writings collected in the book. In the absence of an autobiography, this volume offers the best available presentation of Randolph's ideas and arguments in his own words. Cover -- Title Page -- Copyright -- Dedication -- Contents -- A Note from the Editors on the Text and Sources -- Acknowledgments -- Introduction -- 1. The Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters -- The Case of the Pullman Porters (1925) -- Randolph Replies to Chicago "Surrender" Misnamed Defender (1927) -- A.F. of L. Redoubles its Support for Porters' Victory (1930) -- Why a Trade Union? (1931) -- Requesting International Charter for Sleeping Car Porters (1934) -- Remarks before U.S. Senate Committee on Interstate Commerce (1934) -- Pullman Porters Union will not Fold (1966) -- Report at Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters Convention (1968) -- 2. Labor Leader at Large -- The Unemployment Crisis (1921) -- The Negro and the Labor Movement (1925) -- Race Workers Turning to the American Federation of Labor (1929) -- Open Letter Opposing Proposal to Ban Migration (1943) -- Telegram, Judge Kennesaw Mountain Landis (1943) -- The Negro and CIO-AFL Merger (1955) -- Why the National Negro Labor Council (1959) -- Testimony before the Committee on Education and Labor (1961) -- The American Trade Union Movement at the Crossroads: Address at Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island (1962) -- Testimony before the Committee on Labor and Public Welfare (1963) -- Right-to-Work Laws called Threat to Decent Wages (1966) -- A Vision of Freedom (1969) -- A Labor Day Message (1978) -- 3. Randolph Speaks His Mind, 1919-1967 -- Lynching: Capitalism its Cause -- Socialism Its Cure (1919) -- A New Crowd-A New Negro (1919) -- The Failure of the Negro Church (1919) -- Segregation in the Public Schools (1924) -- Randolph Defies Boss Crump (1944) -- Keynote Address at Negro American Labor Council Convention (1962) -- African Methodism and the Negro in the Western World (1962) -- Lincoln University Commencement Address (1967) The Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters Labor leader at large Randolph speaks his mind, 1919-1967 Randolph's views on politics in the United States The March on Washington movement and the Fair Employment Practice Committee Making and witnessing history in the civil rights movement Randolph, war, and the fight to desegregate the United States military A. Philip Randolph on international affairs. Offers the best available presentation of A. Philip Randolph’s ideas and arguments in his own words through files of libraries, manuscript collections and newspapers, selecting more than seventy published and unpublished pieces that shed light on Randolph’s most significant activities.