I am the associate director for Public Programs and exhibitions. Thank you for joining us for tonight news conversation with eric eight washington is an independent scholar and author denies book, gretz. The live of James H Williams and three cats of Grand Central terminal. This program is an ongoing series of programs hosted in conjunction with current exhibition about the harlan. If you have not had a chance to take those look at the exhibition, it will be up through the end of december. And very much there all of these things inside of that exhibition that i think you will hear about tonight. And also my own historical knowledge about how harlem examines several strands of black place making in the 20th century. Offering views of residents and institutions committed to Community Animation education, and different Political Engagement and coastal affirmation global perspectives, and creativity. They highly includes the brotherhood of of car porters, which the first union for black workers which really the pulp home porters, also find selections from ruby ossie davis collection which we recently acquired. Also items from our pipes and much more. We have two more about harlem conversations coming up that you should save the date. On november 13th, you will be having a conversation about sculpt best savage with curator jeff green and hayes, and standing. That is again on november 13th at 630. The other event is taking place in december and is the conversation about making community. Going to be talking about barbershops and how they are convenient of course in the black community. We are hosting the program in partnership with dan barbershop chronicles. By nigerias and nearly loan leads a rich tapestry of an filter stories about fatherson relationships in black masculinity sent to fob. And of course are so much more happening here the Schaumburg Center so please pick up one of our brochures and ahaz, a beautiful photo of morrison on the cover. You can also visit our website at Schaumburg Center. Org and register or our events on event. In this time please take those moment to fellowship and silent cell phones as i introduced a nice author and the remind you that we will have a book signing following the conversation. So eric eight washington is new york citybased independent historian and author. He is the owner of past which endeavors to reconnect the history to president landscape to articles and talks and tours particularly and some areas of upper manhattan. His exhibition script has included National Civil rights museum, new york library and city college. An interpretive signage and was harlem park, which run Municipal Art Society award. Son rays the waterfront location of this first book, manhattanville. Old heart of west harlem. And its kurts book is the biography just published by thats right. And a vision of ww norton. At Columbia University News Community College Scholars program. Levi center for biography. In residency at the msa h door and more house. The notebook is the live of James H Williams and red caps of Grand Central terminal. Henry introduces an once influential laborer figure who lived between 1878 in 1948. And that similar harlem placed black workforce that he had americas most railroad station whose individual optimists use with the lifeblood of the new Negro Movement and historic renaissance of the 1920s. We will first hear about from eric and then he and i will sit down to have a conversation. So please welcome haley eric washington. [applause]. Thank you. Thank you Schaumburg Center for being a steward of such an incredible collection that was invaluable to my research on this book. I am going to punch item and then we will talk. On the evening of september 14, 19 oh nine, James H Williams sound with fellow redcap station attendants with Grand Central on 53rd street despite the growing exodus to harlem, the street today it was still have a black live. We can only recently been promoted to supervisor easement and chief attendant and this official category name attendant, was rarely used by travelers. And even them and usually refer to themselves by their conspicuous at work. I caps. But this evening News Assembly seemed more formal. Williams and summoned them to discharge to organize the attendance and Beneficial Association of Grand Central terminal. It Grand Central asaph, the number of occupational and emotional distresses, had fueled this particular gathering in red caps. They worked in and around fully functional Railroad Service free app construction crews built up a new terminal complex around the old station. Fatal station accident had claimed one of william zisman, the month before. More personally, his baby daughter had been in the hospital a week later. Such urgencies made red caps selfaware. They were uninsured, and salaried, independent upon tips in this predicament prompted williams news first major demonstration of his new influential position. That september evening, williams called to action spurred his redcap orders to organize their own manova let associated composed of Grand Central employees, to eight members in case of six for injury or death. As officers the new mutual aid society, and duly elected chief williams as president. And as assistant chief samuel chelsea metals, then setting for the occupation it was just him into history the sergeant at arms. This 19 oh nine incident in the telling victory to me. Fraternal based labor of course that eight had from Grand Central station borders. The brotherhood of car porters. Founded in 1925 which in turn on inspire red caps only similar National Movement in 1937. A decadelong span williams tenure, the threat of the redcap news impact on both Grand Central and greater harlem. I think the best way to introduce williams is to start a rating something from the introduction. Its new york city Grand Central terminal lightly celebrated. That is captivated the traveling public for more than a century. It opened in february 12, 1913, the world news largest railroad station was built by the american reading sam and warren and what and more. It showcases the host of such artists accounts, as use of these who want to mental sculpture hercules mercury in the number of of the tiffany clock, around the building entry. And charles pacing, who served volume painted ceiling transports a mind wandering traveler to the heavens but many regarded it as the finest example of beauxarts planning in new york. At once, and architectural conviction, and masterwork innovative design and engineering. Yet the sublime list of Grand Central terminal tennessee pink marble concourses, his cascading ramps and stairs and shadows belies his quintessential operating model. The servitude of africanamerican workers. The servitude in this case was rooted in the american tradition of racial exploitation. Northerners mightve company regarded their territory as the historic leak, enlightened refuge from the r news segregation practices of the south. However 20 century new york city have ample evidence of its own policies. Notably at command central. The stations tightly run system deployed a quote of black men in red caps at the baggage porters who at times numbered in several hundreds. The nature of the quote work is the noted writer eb right observe the new yorker, with some a class with beasts of burden. Indeed, throughout the bustling concourses, they often backbreaking demeaning favor integral both to the stations fnc and to its glamorous ambience. Perhaps it was inevitable that the forces and became a model from numerous railroad stations across the nation. Make categorically identifiable the fight there apparel and other complexion, the black workforce at Grand Central embodied americans colorblind. The bylaws and amendments, and social attitudes that closed doors to blacks. In the united states, the call alondra with the deepseated cultural contrivance, let it fester for generations. His contradictions. And at times, the prohibitions fell only intuitively. Yet they were as palatable as top rope. He could be woven into the collective subconscious by social mores. Or bite deliberate acts. The blacks also found ways to circumvent and mitigate impasses created from whites erected the color live. The event and reconfigured it into opportunities into positions of leverage. Such was the case it Grand Central. Colorblind afforded black workers the means proverbial bull speaking make a way out of no way. Indeed this happened as one of the most iconic Service Occupations of the last entry. It originated at Grand Central depot in 1895. In an event come exclusively black bite 19 oh five. A source of pride that job is coveted by animals invariably associated with africanamerican men. Wheres educated white chance of workers to low and scotus, educated blacks recognized it. As a rare and employment option in era of a rigid racial barriers. Grand Central African American College students, read capping as a means to pay their way through school. Men who created this opportunity for securing a foothold to a professional and social advancement, was James H Williams, singular individual whose history Grand Central terminal, is deep in urban leaving legend and mythology of the landmark we know today. Want to informally inflate africanamerican plate parents in 1870, williams broke the live of Grand Central redcap attendance in 19 oh three. Upon williams is higher the former public provider that attendants are not porters to carry baggage printed but rather were on hand to assist station passengers. They began taking on a new definition. Starting in 19 oh nine, william served as achieve attendant of Grand Central terminal. His first and most notable African American officer. Oh man and that he remained in that position until his death in 1948. In his capacity, he embodied in a unique juncture and white america. His influential 45 tenure made station, not only a gateway to americas greatest city, just much gateway to the nation news greatest africanamerican neighborhood on them. He supervised a staff of men who were relegated by race to the lowest stratum of the stations workforce. The brawl was integral into the railroad system, like their Railroad Running ken, slipping borders, were also american africanamerican. The station bound red caps were crucial to the swift watch precision of the terminal and woven into the experience of early 20th Century Railroad travel. Williams live, was cited with key periods the evolving social and cultural world of the African Americans. And experiences out the window, on post civil war america and the heavy optimism of the reconstruction era. We followed williams at the man, he was inactive if unassuming agent of the early 20th century ideological cause of racial public. This drove to call white prejudice through self black improvement through education and business and labor and the arts. And then in the 1920 news which fueled a unique movement, in the harlem renaissance, and we follow him through two world wars. It was williams who ingeniously transformed outwardly self job into a coveted employment opportunity. Be interim, permanent, roman live, and the new york tribune, would observe, williams chief offered scores of promising the physically strapped young black college men on the way to a report by water working on redcap as luggage supporters. Many of them were at letterman, example of the social network of the blacks of themselves, join they were categorically barred, from the white fraternities into the private white institutions. Academic consoles notwithstanding, this black race, as well as their unschooled brothers of the race. They worked as an salaried labors. They were ubiquitous throughout the terminals opulent concourses eating trumps and releases in touch with satchels and pens. And toting the golf clubs and of bustling travelers only dependent upon tips. While this story is obviously about race and labor, is also overwhelmingly about personal industry and resourcefulness and philanthropy. Over the course of his live, seismic shifts in history happened. At the new york central employee, he ushered statement, many starts, society elite, sports heroes, clergy, and octant notables to a different train with marginal disability. He stood out conspicuously among africanamericans as the chief. He created a platform to employ blackman to sustain black students and showcase the race in the most admirable plate. In this capacity as the boss of the grip strength gives me a term applied to both baggage and handlers, it was part of the Central Nervous system of harlem renaissance. The story era of harlem news cultural literary and artistic thanks christian. It was also renaissance of business and industry and race enterprises as well as concerted africanamerican labeling specific limits in which influence was noticed. People admire him as a partially person in front of the. He generally touch others is it too. The day after he died, the journalist plan, had to go to chicago. So had been the Grand Central for ticket on the 20th century limited. For many, working. New york to chicago train, which new york central advertised as the most famous train in the world, anticipated the side of chief williams of the gate. The main concourse, crown and into some old conference, season trips, he knew from when he redcap for summer away from school. The vast majority of passengers were going to chicago. They didnt know about williams news death and they did not step. The brown and maybe some of the caps, saw a couple of strangers. Two old white passengers. Friend of the chief and said they read in the morning paper. They were crying. So i wondered, who was this black man is passing elicited grief among both friends and strangers in the tracing live of James H Williams, was fascinating task, and intrusive nature of his job. But it was not invisible. He has brought amend of lazy, and the chronicles of this time, he take shape and fleshes out and breads. [applause]. Thank you already know what you have to do at the end of this program. 2. 1 i will be calling chief williams both as that was the title hoodie and carries and also i wanted you take those moment to give a special shout out and thanks to Margaret Edwards is the great great good driver of chief williams was here today. [applause]. Thank you for joining us. So how does your isle as well as what i found in the book, you have an amazing job of illuminating the existence of people. And the impact of what they had on society. Using the intro that it is the fascinating task. I am curious how you unearth and develop this composition is the manlike chief williams in the absence of a formal archive. In many ways. Sometimes, the easy part is finding in their names and repeated in newspaper articles or citations in somebody elses document or whatever. Sometimes is just a name on the list of people who were attended gathering in a party or a meeting. Im one of those people who i just might like name. White widow who that person is. To see if theres somebody or anybody. More often than not join you are surfing for someone or something, you dont necessarily find what you looking for right away. You might find Something Else that captures your attention. In that way, their different strategies and non strategies for digging and finding people are just everyday people. Sheena clark vessels good about that think they were causally telling people news names and telling stories maybe shouldnt know. [laughter]. Simon. One of the things that was great was having databases and looking through, the black press particularly join there was a gathering or an event, there seem to be the sort of list equal think. Everybody is sort of just listed. The first you might want to think, why are they there. Well nobody else is going to mention them and i was really grateful because i can collect stories we read over again delay from a huge gathering. I just everybody. And i can go back and see now that ive been kim familiar with these names. I can find them. That was very useful. Just having a lot of these names go forward. In sum, i do find other ways of finding out who those people were who looked interesting. Is the beginning, chief williams parents were part of the wave of migration to new york the reconstruction. The population here in new york swelled to 1,901,980, is the only biography you think of chief williams but also offers a massive black new york during lite 1000 hundreds 1940s. Could you talk a little bit about the black communities. News parents were both enslaved in virginia same county. I hadnt come across any evidence that they knew one another there. It seems that they probably met in new york. The bank records which were very record very useful, there were two, 1870s 72 where he is in virginia and it was said that he was a runaway. From slavery. After the war he had family and went back to virginia. He was a hotel waiter and norwalk, virginia or the other way around. [laughter]. And virginia working at the hotel. I always mixes up. The next year, hes in new york. Hes working at this posh hotel in new york. Hes leaving in a very non posh address. Join the many little africans and was todays greenwich village. It was one of those areas of the village on thompson street there was a subject of reeses investigations and with a really troubled, so it was really clear that this interesting dichotomy where he had practically just gotten to new york he landed there. Maybe through connections whatever. But hes really working at this posh address at 29th street and broadway which is sort of a hotel in Theater Center at the time. Before he moved up to the times square area. 1973, it still appears to be just kind of getting established there but he is in this wonderful surrounding a lot of people like himself, have come up from the south and come to the big cities into new york. And that i think he meets his wife lucy in new york. And they married. So these were his parents and i started off telling about the first exhibit was important to kinda get an idea of williams routine. Is the native native new yorker, born on 58th street. And with now is the posh neighborhood of chelsea. But then it was part of the neighborhood that was the tenderloin and is one of the high crime, but may be fun, it is known for a lot of like clubs and red live districts everything. Everything that comes with that. And at that time, the 14th street, anything about 14th street was considered Something Else pretty. Around 1900 references of uptown are usually about 14th street which gives you an idea of how the city was moving upward. As to the people didnt live farther away, but the centers of the city, the businesses and commercial enterprises, and hotels and things like that, they were all sort of you can see them migrating and this was in a way to go. Because most people were still coming from being for the downtown. And tenderloin also, included counselor because right because the tenderloin is one of those offices communities that is more or less Health Kitchen wouldve been part of that northern end of it like 15 street for James Williams was born sort of the southern end and where the sort of west going towards the river for the railroad, the tracks in east, that kind of dissolved and becomes nicer around the broadway area. I think one of the things that was interesting about williams to me, when he came into his adulthood, and he lives in 20th street and is working in the posh area and broadway, his major one of the most famous florist in the day, only like a couple of blocks away, is the black felt is what its called. It is very walkable within ten minutes. As a contrast and feeling. Talk more about that florist because if you like the work that chief williams was doing at the time, really groomed him for the work that he would be doing in Grand Central station. Charles worley is another fascinating figure. He was one of the principal florist favored the gilded age. On the elite of new york. In one of the, its a really clear when he began, but certainly around or lease, the turn of last century around 1900 join williams is working for him as a florist messenger, is known for hiring specially, africanamericans. It is very convenient because they jobs are hard to get. He is kind of big hulking rough guy into some flaky could be the flower business. He probably looked so many who would like to kill flowers in spite of it. [laughter]. And he was a sports manager particularly for boxing. But he was an artist what he did. Everybody liked him. There were other major forces well but this is one of the things that the African American immunity in new york, always considered him a friend and we cater events not only for the elite, but for join harlem started taking hold in your the early years, he would cater those events. It would decorate them with flowers. So is known for fair play and i can take a square deal. And a lot of people like williams and even likes to work for him. This was sort of in the later years. He fired i think he died the next year. I wasnt connected. [laughter]. But he was really one of the few people who very influential, and a lot of whole. It is probably he who made introductions to the advent that can Grand Central to get williams the job. Which he integrated forces. Wesley williams when he became new york citys manhattan news first black fireman, credits him specifically as having been the most important letter and other letters that were written like Teddy Roosevelt as well. But surely wesley, really doted upon appreciatively about the recommendation. So James Williams had a really key time, just before going to Grand Central, to this other incredible think where young property, but this really remote piece of property, really way uptown but hundred 42nd street, cross public on seventh avenue, its a little triangle. Hello hotel there, asked Hotel Downtown and he sold the property to the new york times. Nelson 19 oh two. Became times square. And someone of the deals was that in the lease, his name had to appear on the building and remainder for many years. The building is all been stripped away now. Period williams was witness to all of that. And he was also in charge of all of the decorations at Madison Square garden. In different locations for join the people who visited new york in 19 oh two, is one of the biggest events for americans in a making a tour of several American Cities and comes to new york and everyone who had even the slightest extraction of german heritage, later with aleta hose and as it turned out, prince henry was really enthralled by african spirituals that they were called in. Because the jubilee singers, join they first toured of youre up, was in 1871, they see at his house at the royal palace. He was a boy then and never gotten over it. So he became this real big advocate for black culture and wanted to know more. And he was in charge of the night decoration but he was also one of those people was very sort of backed fairplay he didnt have to do the decorations, he had his staff to it. He put one of williams coworkers in charge and the bench was so impressed that he asked them to come back to youre up and decorate his stateroom in the palace. And diamond watch everything. I think these kind of things really affected James Williams comingofage. In meeting these people, it was like an apprenticeship for your learning to deal with people in yearling learning what people want what their tastes are in much of this, is you claim by just being lectures and single people are ordering. On occasions they are giving flowers for more kinds of flowers. So these are really informing who is to become so that when he gets this at Grand Central, he has brought just tending banks, hes also somewhat of a diplomat. You get the feeling about him throughout the book and you talk about having sort of a talker. You know, there was something about him that commanded to presents no matter who he was in conversation with four working with. Join the resources that we have the Schomburg Center is our archives but we also have digital expedition. We have one its called black new yorkers. In one of the sections is called migrations in your neighborhood. This is from 1866 to 1950. We interviewed a portion of that which helped set up the question. As important as it was, the black migration was dwarfed by the immigration of europeans and mostly from ireland and germany and italy. In new york, irishmen and italian immigrants displaced numerous africanamericans as domestic laborers in unskilled divisions which we see in 1890 and 1910 during the largest increase in the black population at that particular time. So with 24 percent increase in 66 percent of the next generation was 66 and thats what im talking about in terms of the increase in the black population at the time. It is on to see the segregation and discrimination became more about it. They found them selves in the city they continue to bar them from most skilled jobs. Segregated them into neighborhoods and forbade them to entry into the public spaces. They were denied work for sharman street planers, baggage handlers, carriers, garment workers, africanamericans however fought back. So theyre telling the story story the red caps and chief williams we see the unveiling and rebuilt Grand Central station. But we also are learning a lot about the jim crow of the north. How do you these two moments influence James H Williams and position that he eventually takes. Is true all a lot of this traditionally serviced positions blacks had a hold on, they were delegated to these positions. Toward the end of the 19th century, theyre starting to lose a lot of these positions. This is part of the old american sorry, so the know that there are other whites coming in, or unrooted anywhere, a lot of people just feeling workable hiring them. One of the things a set, business riot in 1900. The tenderloin rights which they were called. They were so horrific, on a number of levels, on one particular, that it wasnt just that mobs of whites were snatching innocent people in the homes in off the street, but that they were vetted by the police officers. This came into the courts and catalyzed a lot in the black but whites as well. In protest in the news was carried across the country and people were so shamed and disgusted by this moment, that is sort of aided greg a lot of reformers to loophole jobs. Now these were still bottom of their own jobs, but one of the main components in the voices of protest against the actions of the police and the justice system, they were whitewashing what it happened with this reverend wh books from methodist church. Are the things that he said was in the papers, and i imagine that williams either was there that will meaning or he wouldve read it himself or heard it was that we may not get the job you want, lets take the jobs we can get. Implication being we will work with this and see what happens. And williams did just that. And perhaps if sorely was the one who made the recommendation, and would not have been hired at Grand Central that went out the highest recommendation from whomever it came from. That just would not have happened. So as he gets in the job immediately shifts to being all black, and there was no protest that i came across which was also the case join fox entered the work place that was predominantly white, so give the impression of it was a plan change. So they would match up with the boarders who were already all black. It gives them this opportunity to really turn this into Something Else. In the strategy, or part of it was unlike that fortitude a couple of years later will organize a union and strategy for organized labor for him i think was really just that the organization is getting the job, getting the work that all men will do something in the other strategy i think was establishing visibility. And he does that in a number of ways over the decades by organizing and orchestrating a lot of the red caps because a lot of them are musical. And they have recordings and playing and representing the ncaa peak during tour the Baseball Teams, and all the things things get mixed in. Not only themselves public figures, as africanamericans but they are carrying the moniker Grand Central so they are representing the Grand Central terminal as well. Sony join going up and around new york, the first half of the 20th century anything Grand Central and traveling by train, they are not just for this other part, this is part of how you envision trouble. They are part of that iconography. This is also very special set of people they Grand Central wanted to put out there. They realize that the women need it support join catching the train they need it 70 help with their baggage. So they thought it was also make them sent out. On the other side of that this is actually fairly well tipped position. I remember reading in the book for instance samuel battles talks about making like 300 a month where has on average, people might have made 32 a month which okay, so talking about a lot of her name at the time so this idea because one area of Grand Central station sugar hill,. Is the testament to how connected it was to harlan. It was world there. It was most lucrative station to be working at Grand Central. Jim represented sugar hill represented to harlan. Yeah it was interesting because join they started out, and dozen white workers, most were bilingual, french german and spanish danish, it was kind of a novel idea they were very concerned about single women travelers being assaulted by vocal men they were called i dont know the term anymore but on understand what it means but they were all very noble but is also interesting because in all of the advertisements, they reminded the public the traveling public and attending was necessary these men are all in itself. I think it is hard in our generation to appreciate that i think most of us are used to tubing, we take it for granted this to something we do. This was really controversial at the end of the 19th century. A lot of people thought tipping was like is repulsive. And i think by switching the staff from all white to all black, i think in our culture, where the white red caps, represented sort of gallantry, like the knight in shining armor, you pick a night. And i think that kind of resolved that there was an incident in 19 oh five blocks on staff were still fairly fresh. The were always making a lot of her name. He really had a hustle and turn on the charm. And one of the superintendents was outraged. It sounded like from the account he was also outraged that they were taking tips but that they were so successful at it. So like he was able to save like three or 400 a month. It was like, how did you do that. Because it is very likely more than that the supervisor made. We are situated right now at the end of the section also known as malcolm x boulevard. Two names you very mentioned. Can you tell us a little bit about each of those men and also the relationships. Wesley williams, battle was assistant chief attended to her on James Williams. In 19 oh nine, he started studying for the exam to become a police officer. He succeeded in doing in 1911 and became new york citys First Black Police officer. Susan right kept i was doing this and this is obviously groundbreaking. He was also something of a mentor to wesley was much younger, enough to be his own son. And williams embattled were were very close. They were both brothers in manhattan lodged in 45 which was the first colored elks in manhattan. And they were often charge of helping to organize a lot of the big functions for the oaks. I guess booking the acts and collecting the funds and what have you. So by the time and seven or eight years, the past. There is another black person from queens, and manhattan doesnt have one. Time is really right for this. And Wesley Williams chief william son was comingofage now, and is the superman. Theres a pitcher i have in the book and you can see he is telling. I still remember the phrase but it was one of those people you just kind of like wonder why he didnt get snatched up by hollywood or Something Like that. He had an exhibition weightlifting, he was all right athlete like paul robeson was. Says this discussion was taking place is kind of an obvious choice that this chief william son, he is the perfect example in the first perfect way to get it. Its not that went out some pushback because hes black. This is where a lot of chief williams his own influences his personal friend, are able to see my son is the candidate. Can you write a letter. Teddy. And of successful so 1919, 100 years ago, Wesley Williams becomes manhattans first black person. And any profile or often any mention of chief williams, he has mentioned alongside of not only so many of the students overcome through the system but particularly these two most famous black Civil Servants in new york in the same battle and his own son Wesley Williams. So there almost always mentioned in the same breath. If there talking to the chief williams anyway. And actually kind of supersedes him at any. The known chief williams. Hes not only the first manhattans first black fireman and a very slow in integrating as opposed to the police department. Its a little better. Leo he also becomes a 1927, the first black fire lt. Anna and 33, the first black fire captain and 381st battalion chief black fire battalion chief. For a very long time. And bite 1938, obviously his dad is getting along. His gut fame of his own. Says about this time and starting to, wesley is the spoken of as his fathers son. After 1938, more often than not chief williams is being referred to as the father of wesley of the energy. Yeah no. So i grew up,. At some. You is what you are working towards. So i come from me family of people i was avid training traveler my grandfather was a porter. He passed join i was about seven years old. But i know what it means to know if family and that kind of way. My father worked with the railroad, and might anson uncles worked for the railroads, so there is this. In time we can ride the railroad for free because they work for amtrak. Then you write for discounts. And then as a college student, do i want to spend this her name. Does this make sense. In one of the tips, it did make sense at that particular time but join the tips of my grandmother might not want often tell me, if my uncles would be we do to the station, fine hop. Find redcap. Because they knew the time all of the trains and with that times are taking off at and they would take it out of the tract much sooner and get you on a train. Before everybody else is getting through. So was a wonderful think even up until i do not short now because we dont travel by train as much but at least up until early 2000, redcap was where was that. Thats why found in the station no matter what station i was at. And you know that was part of the job description. They were often called walking clip he is. Theyre not supposed to be laden with all of your burdens. It didnt last very long. As a wooden. If i am tuckered out and get all of the 770 looks like they might be able to take my load. You are getting it. The difference was join they were black red caps, it was written expected also. It was part of what you kinda knew you need it to do to kind of make traveler feel it was worthwhile they were a lifesaver. Natalie knew everything, like how to get to the ballpark or what hotels were in town worried they can freshen up or whatever but you actually carry bags. An individual culture of American Travel and you see red caps being depicted, almost always seem to be carrying golf clubs. I dont know that much about golf join there is a particular time join this golf craze was going on but everyone, men and women, i know my father had golf clubs in the house. They are happy. Now with all of the leases in every think else. This was not an easy job but hillside from all of that you are expected to have information. And be able to direct people and make suggestions but also because of williams, one of his strategies of hiring particularly Young College men, this made them very useful organizations like ndebele cp because these human interested crowd to condemn 70 if information there was one particular moment in a silent protest paraded, 1917, which followed these riots in east stk spot in american history. As a silent protest paraded down fifth avenue. One of the accounts was that join they got 42nd street, the red caps there explaining to passersby was going on. Intrigued me because they would not as likely have been off of the premises that went out having people in direct permission. Obviously been one of those things to that he couldnt talk about but he knows he is working the terminal. People ask questions like was going on hillside. Every good reason to believe that in the fact that it was mentioned by one of the prominent rivals of the time and this was a strategy to keep them involved. I know his particular help lodge contributed to the protest paraded the fundraising committee. A lot of students came to new york for this particular purpose as well. Being students, it will very likely to need jobs or they were going to school here. This is where they would go. There was a nature about the red caps the that particular time and you know, for me join i used to ride the trains, i didnt necessarily have any bags that i need it to find one. We would check up in conversations ive been learning real interesting stories about his red caps. Must be to tell us about the more interesting people who have come through the red caps and talk about all of the organizations that chief williams formed and i think in response to the transient nature of many of these red caps. You mightve only been there for a period of time from maybe a summer outfall, maybe as a student, but you are able to create communities so that they really wanted to take care of each other during the time with one another. One of the interesting things was the next block, the cross roads of queen boulevard and 34th street, is known as a campus. The ymca was there so a lot of people pointed to the city state there. He also lodged a lot of college hope. In the ywca, was a few blocks up. So young men and young women would converge and solve all of the problems of the world hanging out in the street. As young people tend to do. Many of them came and hung out specifically not just a chat and meet up and socialize but so they can be visible for people like williams to see are you looking for work. So they can be seen because they had to pay their school because thats where you would go. So the campus, it was a place but in the nickname through the 20th century. Some of the things so im not sure exactly we do see some of the organizations that they started for them. I. So there were the baseball,. Oh yeah that. So that was americas, favorite pastime baseball. Everybody played it blocks noise alike. Its another way to get people together to rally people and not just to entertain themselves but you are representing and organizes the team at Grand Central terminal. And he is there and really at the critical time of the formation of the negro league. He does this really interesting think where he plucks a lot of the star players from famous brooklyn team, the brooklyn royals. Another black team. The owner of the team, and strong, one of the most powerful men in baseball and he runs im forgetting the name of the organization, a color baseball. He is white. He is the hotshot. And williams does this very interesting think where he gets these players to kind of jump ship and play for the red caps. So there a lot of people who were accused and strong and not giving black managers a square deal in the game. It is making a lot of her name off of the talent. Williams takes it to the newspapers and theres a backandforth between williams and met strong response the men strong said to the effect that you know, we can offer these people as a job, thats kinda critical because thats not what he was offering them. Its a season. And what williams and dennis to get them to play and be together plans to be a good team because they have all been playing together. He makes many of whom have gone off to war and some havent come back but he can offer them this perk which is this employment. Met strong couldnt do that. And things like that, all kind of helped solidify williams reputation for as a race man. He keeps the game solid. This baseball still. Theyve got this other think. Join the season is over they still work. One of the starts of the captain is cd earl, he starts playing baseball eventually his big star brooklyn team. Theres a poet, who published poems, like codes to cd earl and even after he goes over to the manhattan side, his rapturous and is not playing baseball but he still red camping. So join williams moves to the dunbar house, williams is one of the first blacks to move on to strive escrow in harlem. Join it opens up to blacks. And then earl lives just across the street. So organizations like that, get a mention the orchestra. In the quartet and into quartet but the initial one, this may Grand Central, even before the tree of rockefeller center, became sort of manifest destination at holiday time, people go to Grand Central to hear metcalf singing on balconies. Christmas carols and spirituals. This really embedded in the holiday tradition. So williams always sort of had his hand and organizing these things that kept him around. And kept them around going. Teaming it sort of worthwhile which i think is something a universal step sentiment with any of this whos been any School Junior High High School whenever, Baseball Team, there is a track team, click love or whatever. And sometimes we do really just hated school, these are the things that you show up for because they can see with soandso today. Whatever. He did those things and really i think this is why, and the other think that was because a lot of them were students, a lot of them did finish school. It was not unusual to see an article that pa she carries her bag. In one out of every three red caps, and college training. Which has brought the case for other departments where the brawl white. And this was williams was very proud of this. That they actually had more collegeeducated, seeing more people through college and their Department News redcap department than any other department in Grand Central. Also his efforts in the war, Relief Campaign certainly during the great war, were really notable. There were articles written about how people are chief one of his off. The tipping think has brought always constant. There were not always solid. Some days we were really scraping but because of the morale that is able to instill a lot of these men, join the cause seemed really righteous, they made it work. This was true, there is knowledge of this by the nc ap and raffle tickets, making the gala, really big gala. For this reason they got walter white when he was head of this, he is promoting, the orchestra. His writing to the famous mexican artist during the renaissance. Is inviting him to this big gala and he said you have to come here the Grand Central terminal red caps. They will play the blues like youve never heard of before. Like gushing. So those kinds of things, the weight williams was able to sort of instill this good morale, as a blister. In a lot of these young men, did finish college and it a lot of them were taking social work horses and became leaders and eventually join the red caps moved to that next phase, inspired by the pullman porters organizing and union, they brent 1937 and 1940 join a conference and convention is in new york, some of those leaders are former red caps. They wrote a letter to the conferencing in getting these best. It was a natural progression that williams really, he is getting on at this time and stylistically was different from the organization that he was used to. Used to. But there is a lot about his family that move up into what is becoming black harlem and that they figure prominently in the book like the black Real Estate Agent who helped to sweeten the deal to help black people move from those areas and ymca was downtown so the harlem that we know maybe we will save that for those of you who get the book we will talk about his politics and his interest and non interest not his own personal activism relating to unions because then you have randolph earlier this century you had those who were developing a way to bring together his fellow musicians and also make sure they are not getting short shifted with the jobs that they were hired for as musicians with that and that being Service Waiters and that sort of thing so for chief williams hes not the loudest voice. Its not really clear what his position is other than by inference there are moments he is critiqued for being silent but its very slight. Like one or two they almost feel they are uttering for show like the managers of the railroads are concerned if hes black you must be sympathizing with them in any of the critiques of the system its never personal against williams and my sense of that is that if science really is a strategy in the act taking place he appears to be an insider but he does the right thing and its delicate that i think everybody who is the strongest voice appreciates that he can get an audience to a certain degree and talk to Eleanor Roosevelt maybe not directly this way but by some sort of entrance and to become what is happening and becomes a voice in support so it remains unclear precisely what his attitude was by the same token he was is organizing the red caps so it was a whole different style of activism and his style of activism is hard to protest job conditions if you dont have a job so lets own this and put our stamp on it. So hes in a different place but its not clear exactly what his position is and i get the sense i want to say protection because since a lot of them have themselves they know what he was about and as a key figure in if not people that were really proud of their race those that would not have been able to go through school and thats how they came to this next level. I think he supported the unionization and by this time hes just about to be 60 and has been on his feet all this time so i cut him a lot of slack. I think what he was doing was still as an activist but they are not monolithic one of her oldest friends before the way great wave of the black migration so i get the feeling its like a playoff. You do this and i will do this. So to answer your question i dont think there is a clear definitive answer but my hunch is that he was very proud of where they were going at this time. Any questions quex. Good evening. I am doing some research on the subject who was known but not well known. I actually do have access to an archive what were some techniques other than searching the newspapers that you used to find Mister Williams . And how long did it take you from your initial discovery of Mister Williams to actually finishing this book . The newspaper database was invaluable but is charles here . I cant see this is his great great nephew as a repository for much of the visual matter is certainly not an archive at the schaumburg but it was invaluable and that matched going with records and newspaper articles to contextualize a lot that had fallen into his lap that he had become a steward to say this picture heres the article she was on the beach and here is who she is with so there was an archive but a lot of them are not formally the way you would think of it how long did it take . My discovery was in 2013 so it was six years ago and i was giving tours at the society at the centennial to give regular tours i knew there was a relationship between africanamericans in the railroad. And at that time it was an interchangeable name quickly i realized because it was Grand Central the two railroads so whatever happened there was copied. So him being the first red cap quickly caught on to railroad stations all over the place so i wrote an article and set ive met somebody new and interesting and i put it away then two years later i applied for a fellowship for people working on biographies. So i think altogether was five or six years but once i decided it was about five years. Anything that surprised you . And what did this help to dispe dispel . It is an urban legend that is repeated often but without any direct attribution that James Williams was the first red cap which is a perfectly fine story labor day 1890 a young man by the name of James Williams gets the attention of the crowd he ties red flannel to his hat. Its a great story williams himself never push that he was asked and he said thats what they say. So having access to the internet we had faster access to newspapers so it is well documented George Daniels for the new York Railroad established march 1st 1895 specifically for the red caps to do the job and by his own account he started april 53 and replaced a name of walsh it was an interesting story not a big surprise that one of those things that you could see how useful the story was to build morale for the community and other surprises were the variety of things people were doing there was one young man William T Davis who was an endurance motorcycle rider and is trying to break records and then goes around the world on a motorcycle. He writes letters back to one of the Sports Editors so he is doing travel writing he goes to japan and russia in africa that comes back the following year. This is so inspirational how many of you have been around the world . [laughter] and on a motorcycle no less. Those things were surprising. May be because there are things not so much today but we panic think of a gas station. [laughter] and the prohibitions we know the obstacles. Or the other way around to have those kinds of adventures so i highly recommend. I noticed you said a large percentage of the red caps had some college education. Where do you know how many had College Degrees or if they were migrants from hvc you colleges . If they were from the south this is their First Encounter with blacks going to college in the north like brown was at harvard. Or princeton wilson was at nyu. So yes they were but it was known as a place to go to get work during the hiatus to pay for school to get money but the percentage of those who came out with degrees im not sure of those figures that there was a high instance doctors, particularly dentist for some reason. Not for some reason there was a lot of reasons why but they would have to work in concert with places they could not get in so dentist were independent. Clergy, educators judges that one article titled phd carries your bags the writer gave a statistic one out of three red caps had college training. What was the relationship between chief williams or a Philip Randolph or did they . There was no direct relationship. Because what they were doing was different. Im sure they knew each other and there were instances they were in social settings together. But certainly there was not a tacit working relationship given the nature of williams mo but it was not explicit light can you take care of this. My manner on it. So i dont know their relationship informally. This is alvin. Thank you for writing the book. Glad you put this out because it gives me more stuff for when i do the tour at Grand Central this gives some nice depth. My curiosity about the red caps i saw something about the first guy was paid by the terminal that did the red caps make their money on tips . Yes there were times they would get a little bit of salary but the culmination is that then they wouldnt get any money so they were hotshot and they were doing tips by themselves that was their penalty. Do you know how much . It depend on the times and economics it seems in the twenties when everyone came to have money until the stock market crash and it crashes for everybody although interestingly enough, williams is still on starbirds role. That was one of the surprises you thought after 1929 i thought everybody was poor. But theyre still going to parties and socializing and in a way did not skip a beat some people may tighten their belt belts, on the other hand things were going on as normal but probably not making as much in tips during the depression because travelers are also tightening their belts. Also later on one of the things is the controversy where they start to lose their tips so its now ten cents per bag people said this is in fair because customers are ready to give a lot more so it becomes a controversy but then moving into the forties people are starting to travel lighter and then passengers are finding their own strategies to not have to tip and also not being encumbered waiting for bags and also traveling later and as we get into the forties and with 1948 because it is starting to be less fashionable and the advent of increased airplane travel and superhighways, people driving where they want to go. One more question. Thank you so much for doing this book. I learned additional things i did not know about my greatgrandfather. The orchestra and the Baseball Team i never knew about. I recognize some of the photos but there is a lot more that i dont know and i appreciate all that you could do to gather these together. [applause] thank you so very much thank you to the audience there are quite a few family members here so if you could raise your hand and if you could turn on the lights so we can see the members of the audience. [applause] thank you all for joining us and for the work that you do for the Unsung Heroes we are appreciative of the stories we hope to continue to unearth as we our collectors go thank you all and he will sign his book. Thank you. [inaudible conversations] in for my mother a remade poet in her own right. [applause] how as a child i watched her every move and have seen her eyes fall upon every word and in the Grocery Store and in my High School Textbooks she was always wolfing down words insatiable which is how i learn the ways that words were a sustenance to be a beautiful belief or how i learned words were the best map to make me know what my mother was always saying in between raising 12 humans. I am in this room ;semicolon and so is my mother. [cheers and applause] and my sister who was only 19 it felt like a planet unknown and fellow artist the most inspired accompaniments of my life. And my siblings were not here carl, michael, karen, eddie, de for telling me the stories in the first place and for trusting me to make something of them. For allowing me to call your names because it is no small thing to recover the names. There are other names of my family who told me the history of myself some of whom have died before this book was finished in the world my aunt tia laid my mothers only sister, my uncle joe january of this year and the swiftest below my oldest brother simon junior who died the day after this book appeared in the world. You have an american citizen operating as an agent of russia. The only due process that american will ever get is the Justice Department to play it straight with the court and to comply with their own regulations to bring verified information only to the court and if they dont follow their own rules and the judge doesnt make them follow their own rule rules, then you basically have surveillance who are presumed innocent with the fall of a of Constitutional Rights and never find out about it. What we found out in this investigation that is precisely what they did but for the purpose to monitor a Political Campaign that is what this was about through and through. Ultimately i had a different idea what it would be. The way to do this with the Hillary Clinton investigation with the trump russia investigation. And ask if any objective person could look at both of them to say the same degree of justice was afforded to both thoughts. To take the case with a bent over backward not to make the case where they had a mountain of evidence of criminal activity with the Mueller Investigation you like to the fbi you got prosecuted. The clinton investigation you like they gave you a metal and immunity. No grand jury to speak of. To make all kinds of arrangements in the Mueller Investigation they show up at 6 00 oclock in the morning if they needed to break into your house and grab the evidence they wanted with clinton they said pretty please if they said no then they would make a deal to get the evidence but not look at it or big sections of it. You are talking a situation they bend over backwards not to make a case when they had real criminal evidence versus scorching the earth trying to find one where there wasnt and then they still were not able to do it after two years. Semi idea is to compare these two investigations and just pose the question whether you are a liberal or conservative or democrat or republican, can you honestly look at these two investigations and say by the way these two that were conducted by the same agent the same investigators, the same Justice Department personnel to say they did blind justice . Not a chance. Its always a great pleasure to be here books and books for the launch of a new one is particularly wonderful to have so manyen
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