The glory road; A. Philip Randolph

This program was produced by the national educational radio under a grant from the National Home Library Foundation. Americans to help make American travelers. This is the story of a man who is helping to write our history. That great book of American history which is still in the writing. Randall. What was that name meant to our nation. Our Times. Many things all adding up to this. All through his long career and he is in his 70s now April of Brando has never stopped fighting for democratic ideals and the only reward is victory for our cause that cause always the same

cause really has had many names during the years in 1925 it was the cause of the sleeping car porters those smiling white jacketed attendants on the luxury train who had no luxuries themselves and little in their own situation to smile about. Nor any voice to speak up for them until August 25th of that year nine hundred twenty five when one of their former coworkers addressed a meeting of foreigners in a Harlem home. It's time we started. Our own. Life. I know most of everybody who's trying to organize the same treatment.

And that's why your friend and my friend working here with us tonight. You know him as well as I do and all the findings of a magazine messenger. You know I've never worked for the company. I've never been a part of myself. But let me tell you this I know you and I'm ready to dedicate myself to that and the company can't fire me. You what your price was right for the for higher wages better working conditions. That's my price right guaranteed by you know all road. Call it what you will. I won't take anything else. It took 12 struggle and

the struggle to contract. And. That. Six. Thousand nine hundred thirty eight faraway places they were not too long. But two Negro leaders on their way south from Washington early in 1941 heard that

silence and had to talk about it. One was a fan of Randolph now president of the brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters the other his vice president Webster. It was Randall who spoke first. You see those factories we get past New clothes that look mighty busy look like this is what it is meant to finish moving. You didn't see any black faces and the black men bending over this machine. You know I didn't any more than you remember what the president said over the radio the other day on that fireside chat. Sure I do. He said we've got to keep the free world free with the weapons of war we're making in our factories. If we put our case to the press and you've been to the president. Yes but I'm only one man. No man could have put it better than you Phil. Maybe not but no one not any one man can do can

make the President see the situation as it is and get him to act upon it. What we need is many many thousands of men yes and women too. What's in your mind. What are you getting at. Can't you just see the thousands upon thousands of Negro America ten thousand say ready willing and able to go to work in defense of the people at the top. They're tired of waiting for the work all that never comes. Can't you just see them marching into the nation's capitol marching for jobs. But where are you going to get those 10000 marchers to take America. It'll take work good hard work but I think we can get. I'm sure we can if we stop talking and just talking it out wherever we go. Starting out. At least they'll see us. They'll say we're not satisfied just to sit on the sidelines and watch the rest of the country the world go by. We're talking you know working in Webster and their coworkers

than they'd ever been before the March on Washington movement began to move with increasing momentum. From the. Birmingham. Marches. We're getting. Spread all over the nation north east and west right in Chicago New York Los Angeles and elsewhere. Before the month was over the idea had caught on everywhere. Listen to this. I knew we'd get the Brotherhood back but now the NAACP is

coming with us and the Urban League and a dozen other organizations. How is the march committee coming. Everybody's accepted without qualifications. Everybody we have to serve and we've got the Press with us from France. I never thought we'd go along with our plan. But there are swinging into line now. This is the only way we can pull ourselves up in this country of ours. We must stand up and march forward on our own feet. We don't want to reject what in fact that's what this whole march is about we're all part of the same great democracy there's no democracy we're talking about. On a day in March 1941 before a microphone in a radio studio and made a long awaited announcement. Dear Fellow Negro Americans. The date is set for our great march it will be July 1st put on an all out March

and huge demonstrations at Lincoln's monument. The pressure was building up Fischel Washington just had to take note of it. Official Washington right up to the White House 1941 a month away from the day set for the march. President Roosevelt sent a directive to the office of production management. I urge you to make it clear in your communication with defense industries that industry should take the initiative to open the door of employment to all oil and qualified workers. Regarding the sort of race creed and color. Well you heard the president's directive. What do you think. I think it's only a hope and a prayer. Has no teeth in it. It won't do the trick. Exactly my opinion. And so we

have passed the word along. We're going ahead with our plan with no let up in the drive for a march on Washington the administration began to take a more and more serious view of the situation. Randolph was summoned to a meeting in New York where he found a number of important figures on the national scene gathered Fiorello LaGuardia a key figure in both New York and Washington was first to speak. We're all friends of the brotherhood and friends of blame generally. And as you know I know Mr. Mayor so I have to tell you plainly this march on Washington idea it's not the way I feel if you just wait wait just a bit longer. There will be a change for the better. Mr. Mayor when we've waited long enough we can't wait any longer. Mr. Randolph your plan you must know is not practical. Where would your marching marching.

This is Roosevelt. They'll come in orderly and with respect they'll go to hotels and register. Now go to the restaurants and order dinner. You know as well as any of us that can't be with Washington still pretty much of a southern city that don't you know Mr. Randolph if the march occurs there may very well be trouble travel or not Mrs. Roosevelt. We must march. I'm sorry but there seems no other way. I've seen the president about this. I've talked to him about it. I have to. But now that I've heard what you have to say I shall talk to him again with the Randolph now less than half a month away from the deadline day. And now there was another meeting this one in Washington. The president himself had a meeting with key cabinet members at his side. He was still planning to go ahead with the march. Yes Mr. President a lot of us. We said five ten ten thousand to start with to start with.

Yes Mr. President. But now now it looks more like a hundred thousand a hundred thousand. Yes Mr. President. I have pressure Phil. I'm sympathetic with your people's desire for jobs and their right to a chance for a job the same as anybody else but questions like this fail. Well they can't be gotten at with hammer and tongs with marches. Call your march off fellow and then we'll talk about it again. I've given my word my people Mr. President I can not unless you wish you were not an executive order abolishing discrimination an executive order. Why there have been no executive orders issued in years. What will it accomplish a great deal Mr. President with the authority of your high office behind it sir. People are bound to respect it. Ah people get fair treatment that they ask for no more. But they will no longer be satisfied with less.

After a joint. And because of the president. To make another announcement this time of the US. And

we have. This program.