Details

Subject(s)

• Burton, Arthur Sr. 1903-2005—Interviews [Browse]
• African Americans—Interviews [Browse]

Interviewee

• Burton, Arthur, Sr., 1903-2005 [Browse]

Interviewer

• Crowe, Larry F. [Browse]

Director of photography

• Stearns, Scott [Browse]

Production company

• HistoryMakers (Video oral history collection) [Browse]

Library of Congress genre(s)

• Oral histories [Browse]
• Internet videos [Browse]
• Nonfiction films [Browse]

Summary note

Pullman porter and union supporter Arthur Burton, Sr. was born on September 10, 1903, in Winterville, Mississippi. Burton was the oldest of five children. He finished grade school when he was in his twenties. He went to work for the Pullman Company in 1930 and was assigned to the Santa Fe Super Chief, California Limited and The Scout train lines. Low pay and racial discrimination (Pullman referred to all porters as "George") prompted porters to join A. Phillip Randolph's efforts to organize a union. Burton was one of the charter union members. Despite strong opposition from the company, Burton drove local labor leaders to and from union headquarters. The certification vote on August 21, 1935 was successful, making the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters the first national African-American labor union. Burton was a porter for thirty-eight years. He passed away on March 25, 2005 at age 101.

Creation/​Production credits

Videographer, Scott Stearns.

Time and place of event

Recorded Chicago, Illinois 2002 May 18.

Source of description

Vendor-supplied metadata.

Participant(s)/​Performer(s)

Larry Crowe, interviewer.

Other title(s)

• History Makers video oral history with Arthur Burton, Sr.
• Arthur Burton, Sr.

Statement on language in description

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