The Rise and Fall of the Black Brotherhood

In the 1940s, many African Americans moved to urban areas where defense work was in full swing because there was a huge demand for workers as part of the war effort. The problem was once they got there, African Americans often faced harassment and discrimination from federal hiring system that favored white people. In 1947, Pullman formally handed over ownership of the Sleeping Car business to a consortium of 57 railroads. By this point, it was no longer an exclusively African American organization. It also represented white barbers, maids from the Philippines and others working in service positions on the railroads.