Letter from A. Philip Randolph, International President of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters to Fiorello La Guardia, Mayor of New York City
6/5/1941
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Frustrated by the lack of job opportunities for blacks in defense industries and by racial segregation in the military, labor leader and civil rights advocate A. Philip Randolph wrote to New York City Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia asking for his support. In his letter, Randolph, director of the first predominately black labor union, the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters, also proposed a march on Washington. Randolph dropped the idea after President Roosevelt issued Executive Order 8802, setting up the Committee on Fair Employment Practice. Later Randolph would become a leader of the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom.
This primary source comes from the Records of the Office of Civilian Defense.
National Archives Identifier:
7859715Full Citation: Letter from A. Philip Randolph, International President of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters to Fiorello La Guardia, Mayor of New York City; 6/5/1941; Records of the Office of Civilian Defense, Record Group 171. [Online Version, https://www.docsteach.org/documents/document/letter-from-a-philip-randolph-international-president-of-the-brotherhood-of-sleeping-car-porters-to-fiorello-la-guardia-mayor-of-new-york-city, April 19, 2024]