The Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters was the first national trade union for African Americans. Standard BSCP histories focus on the men who built the union: few acknowledge the important role of the Ladies' Auxiliary in shaping public debates over black manhood and unionization; setting political agendas for the black community; and crafting effective strategies to win racial and economic justice. In this first book-length history of the women of the BSCP; Melinda Chateauvert brings to life an entire group of women ignored in previous histories of the Brotherhood and of working-class women; situating them in the debates among women's historians over the ways that race and class shape women's roles and gender relations. Chateauvert's work shows how the auxiliary; made up of the wives; daughters; and sisters of Pullman porters; used the Brotherhood to claim respectability and citizenship. Pullman maids; relegated to the auxiliary; found their problems as working women neglected in favor of the rhetoric of racial solidarity. The auxiliary actively educated other women and children about the labor movement; staged consumer protests; and organized local and national civil rights campaigns ranging from the 1941 March on Washington to school integration to the Montgomery bus boycott.
#1491544 in Books 2009-02-03Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 .70 x 5.70 x 8.70l; .95 #File Name: 0231700601224 pages
Review
6 of 14 people found the following review helpful. Al-Qaeda Ghandi Humanitarian GlobalizationBy William Garrison Jr.The author stated that: "My object in this book is to argue that a global society has come into being; but possesses as yet no political institutions proper to its name; and that new forms of militancy; like that of Al-Qaeda; achieve meaning in this institutional vacuum; while representing in their own way the search for a global politics" (p.8). While the author seems to be implying that Al-Qaeda is some type of typical NGO (non-governmental organization) seeking world peace by helping others to achieve global humanity; the author is no Pollyanna regarding the Islamo fascists: he is clearly aware that Al-Qaeda and its associates are seeking their One World view of humanistic justice through violence - should their `peaceful' overtures inviting infidels to embrace Islam as dhimmi fail. The author tries to convince the reader that Al-Qaeda views itself as being on a `humanitarian-like mission' in appealing to atheists to embrace the Muslim Allah. The author contends that Al-Qaeda tries to show its concern for `humanism' by warning the masses that atheistic capitalistic countries are harming the world environment through Global Warming (which somehow can be avoided by people embracing Islam). To further tie-in Al-Qaeda as having a `humanistic' perspective; the author drags in India's Mahatma Ghandi. While most people are aware of Ghandi's non-violent political protests against some British injustice; the author discusses Ghandi's militant-side: whereby Ghandi at times condoned violence against the British `occupiers.' This completes the author's circle of world `humanism': Al-Qaeda is like Ghandi: both urge peaceful resolution to disputes; but should peaceful enticements fail; then violence is permissible against those who rebuff their peaceful overtures. Not that the author is trying to equate Al-Qaeda with Ghandi; just that they have similar `humanistic' perspectives (actions) in achieving their version of a peaceful globalized ummah community. The author all too-frequently re-writes his sentences in trying to present his themes in new perspectives; but an effort which just unnecessarily lengthens his book. (Okay; I think the author is a little wordy.) I learned more about Ghandi than I did about Al-Qaeda. This book isn't going to contribute to a U.S. soldier stationed somewhere in the Middle East in trying to figure out how to defeat or `engage' Al-Qaeda; it's for academia musing. I'm sure the author is very insightful about this topic; it's just not one of the first 25 books that I would recommend in reading to learn something really meaningful about Al-Qaeda.
