by Dominique Butler

A. Philip Randolph was born April 15,1889 in Crescent City , Florida . He was one of two sons. His parent's names were Reverend James Williams and Elizabeth Robinson Randolph, who were both dependents of slaves.

He and his family moved to Jacksonville in 1891. This was the place where he and his brother attended school. They both excelled by being the top in their classes at the Cookman Institute. After school, he was reduced to menial work. In the spring of 1911, he traveled to New York with a friend, secretly hoping to become an actor. He took classes at City College , and bowing to his parents objections to an acting career, switched from drama to politics and economics, soon joining the socialist party. During this time Randolph met his future wife, Lucille Green, a 31 year old widow from Christianburg , Virginia .

Randolph soon met another friend from North Carolina . His name was Chandler Owen. He was studying sociology and political science at Columbia University . They both shared the same ideas and would soon become soap box orators and establish THE MESSENGER, a radical Harlem magazine, in 1917.

He organized The Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters which was considered the first serious effort of unionizing the Pullman company. The Pullman company was the most powerful business organization in the country, and it viciously resisted efforts to unionize.

Randolph struggled with his company for 12 years. He was a very strong fighter and he never gave up. The brotherhood's courageous battles won the admiration of many labor and liberal leaders. Even the American Federation of Labor leadership saw the bitterly anti-Communist Brotherhood as a bastion against the influence of communism among the black working class. His organization had this effect on many people.

They had many setbacks, but the Brotherhood prevailed. President Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal guaranteed workers the right to organize and required corporations to negotiate with unions. In 1935, the Pullman company was forced to sit down with the Brotherhood. Randolph moved to secure formal affiliation with the AFL and was finally granted an international charter. At their convention, there were many disagreements over whether to organize by craft or industry. The conflict led to the expulsion of unions that wanted to organize by industry. Those unions soon formed the Congress of Industrial Organization. In 1937, the Brotherhood, which remained in the AFL, finally obtained a contract with the Pullman Company, the first contract ever between a company and a black union. Randolph emerged as one of the first major black labor leaders in the country.

One really good thing about Asa Randolph was that he was also a spokesperson for African-American rights in the 1940s and 1950s. He is hailed as the dean of American civil rights leaders. He mainly focused his attention on the rising number of blacks on relief and the number of defense industry jobs that were increasing with the war effort heating up. These jobs traditionally excluded blacks. Randolph proposed the march on Washington - a mass action protest to demand change.

The African -American community embraced the plan, and a band of militants threw themselves into the project with fervor. Under pressure, President Roosevelt finally signed an executive order banning discrimination within the government and among the defense industries that won government contracts. Randolph called off the march. The young militants felt betrayed, even though Randolph reminded them that the executive order was what they had sought.

In 1947, Randolph spoke with the president over civil rights for African Americans. President Harry S. Truman called for a peacetime draft, but failed to include a provision against segregation. Randolph also founded the committee against Jim Crow in military service and training. Within a year the group became the League for Non Violent Civil Disobedience Against Military Segregation and called for blacks to refuse to register for the draft or to serve if called. Truman met with Randolph and other African American leaders, but refused to be persuaded.

Randolph testified before the Senate Armed Services Committee and continued to pressure Truman. At last the president gave in. The date was July 26, 1948 . Truman issued an executive order barring discrimination in the Military. Believing they had achieved their purpose, Randolph called off the non- violent civil disobedience campaign, again angering the young militants who were hungry for action.

Randolph 's fights inside the AFL-CIO were taking place in the 1950's during a time of harsh economic recession that affected blacks. Randolph called for a March on Washington for freedom and jobs. A militant named Bayard Rustin made peace with Randolph by the 50's and became the chief organizer. Trade unions gave Randolph financial support.

The march took place in August. It was an emotional event for Randolph whose wife Lucille had died a few months before. A crowd of 250,000 participated in a peaceful demonstration. Randolph, Martin Luther king Jr., and other leaders met with President John F. Kennedy afterward. Within a year the civil rights act of 1964 was signed.
Randolph died in 1979. His funeral was attended by a host of luminaries led by President Jimmy Carter. Randolph left this world with many memories to carry on with many people. Whatever he believed in he took action and he fought, even at hard times when he probably thought that he could not succeed. He had enough strength for everybody and made this world a better place.