In an era when America traveled by train, one of the best jobs a black man could land was working as a Pullman porter. It also was one of the worst. The hours were grueling — 16 hours a day, seven days a week. The first Pullman porters, hired after the Civil War, were former slaves. Their ranks swelled until they reached 20,000 in the early part of the 20th century, making them the largest group of African-American men employed in the country.
REGINALD F. LEWIS (1942-1993) was a businessman and corporate attorney. He was the first black person to build a billion dollar company and also a prominent philanthropist.
Lewis was born December 7, 1942, in East Baltimore. His family encouraged him to “be the best that you can be” and stressed the value of education at an early age.
NINA MAE MCKINNEY (1917-1967) was one of the first African-American film stars and one of the first African-Americans to appear on British television. She appeared in over 30 films, more than Lena Horne or Dorothy Dandridge; however, she remains relatively unknown.
EUBIE BLAKE (1887-1983) was one of the most important figures in early-20th-century music, and one whose longevity made him a storehouse of the history of ragtime and early jazz music and culture.
Born to former slaves on February 7, 1887, Blake was the only surviving child of eight who all died in infancy. His musical training began when he was only about four years old. hile out shopping with his mother, he wandered into a music store, climbed on the bench of an organ, and started foolin’ around. When his mother found him, the store manager said to her: “The child is a genius! It would be criminal to deprive him of the chance to make use of such a sublime, God-given talent.”
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