A. Philip Randolph and the Struggle for Civil Rights

by Cornelius L. Bynum

A. Philip Randolph's career as a trade unionist and civil rights activist fundamentally shaped the course of black protest in the mid-twentieth century. Standing alongside individuals such as W. E. B. Du Bois and Marcus Garvey at the center of the cultural renaissance and political radicalism that shaped communities such as Harlem in the 1920s and into the 1930s, Randolph fashioned an understanding of social justice that reflected a deep awareness of how race complicated class concerns, especially among black laborers. Examining Randolph's work in lobbying for the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters, threatening to lead a march on Washington in 1941, and establishing the Fair Employment Practice Committee, Cornelius L. Bynum shows that Randolph's push for African American equality took place within a broader progressive program of industrial reform. Some of Randolph's pioneering plans for engineering change--which served as foundational strategies in the civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s--included direct mass action, nonviolent civil disobedience, and purposeful coalitions between black and white workers. Bynum interweaves biographical information on Randolph with details on how he gradually shifted his thinking about race and class, full citizenship rights, industrial organization, trade unionism, and civil rights protest throughout his activist career.

Genres: History, Biography, American History

244 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2010

Reviews

[Stephen Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

A. Phillip Randolph is an all too often overlooked giant of the Civil Rights movement, and one who has received much less study, while accomplishing as much, or more, than his better remembered contemporaries. 'A. Phillip Randolph and the Struggle for Civil Rights' is an important addition to the existing published work. Differing from earlier biographies of Randolph, that concentrate on his work for the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters or his role in the civil rights activism of the 1950's and 1960's, Bynum's book covers, in depth, the earlier period of Randolph's life that shaped the civil rights leaders intellectual and philosophical development, his commitment to equality and economic fairness, and class solidarity. Well done. Highly recommended.

[Raymond Valinoti · Rating 4 out of 5]

Full scale biographies of the noted African-American civil rights leader Asa Philip Randolph (1889-1979) have already been published. This book by Cornelius L. Bynum concentrates on the earlier years of Randolph's life and career. The author explains in the book's introduction, "I view his 1950s and 1960s civil rights activism as largely illustrative of his social, political, and economic thinking rather than formative to its development. It was in the interwar years- the 1920s, 1930s and 1940s- where the sharp contours of his ideas about social justice, race and class, interest group politics, and direct action took shape."

Bynum documents Asa's youth in Jacksonville, Florida. His father, James Randolph, was a minister in the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) church and his preaching of the gospel instilled both his congregants and his son in a determination to always keep one's head high when dealing with racism. Asa's mother Elizabeth also had a strong influence on her son, teaching him to stand up for himself. Bynum does a commendable job in bringing James and Elizabeth Randolph to life as both parents who made their mark on their son and as individuals with their own desires and perspectives on managing their lives. In 1911, Asa migrated to Harlem, New York. Greatly inspired by black civil rights leader W.E.B. DuBois's literary treatise THE SOULS OF BLACK FOLK, he aspired to become one of the "talented tenth" DuBois proposed who would uplift the blacks in America, rescuing them from the Jim Crow laws currently oppressing them. He attended the City College of New York and although he did not graduate, he became well-read and well-informed. Eagerly taking part in the flourishing black intellectual movement in Harlem, Asa joined the Socialist party and remained a member for the rest of his life. But although Randolph believed socialism provided the best opportunity for racial equality in America, he was resolutely opposed to Communism. Randolph felt that blacks had a better chance to achieve racial equality in an elective democracy than in a left-wing dictatorship.

During World War I, Asa became editor of a black civil rights journal called the MESSENGER. Under his leadership in the following years, the MESSENGER advocated militant action against Jim Crow oppression, particularly self-defense and collective action. Randolph pilloried the popular Jamaican-born black leader Marcus Garvey for his policy of racial separatism, insisting that African-Americans should work toward racial integration. Although Asa acknowledged the deep-seated prejudice of many whites he contended that they could ultimately be persuaded to accept blacks as equals. Throughout the post-World War I years, Randolph became an influential and leading figure in the civil rights movement.

In 1925, Randolph helped establish a union called the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters and Maids. Other railway unions existed but they discriminated against blacks. The Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters and Maids had few white members. Throughout the rest of the 1920s and into the 1930s, Asa tirelessly fought for recognition from the United States's leading labor organization, the American Federation of Labor (AFL). Eventually the AFL was persuaded to acknowledge the legitimacy of Randolph's union. He also toiled to achieve recognition of his union from the Pullman Company, a powerful railroad corporation. The labor union movement gained support from Franklin Roosevelt's Presidential administration in the 1930s so Randolph was able obtain a contract with the Pullman Company.

In the 1940s the United States began defense production in preparation for a looming World War II. Randolph organized the March on Washington Movement in 1941, threatening to lead a demonstration in the capital of Washington, D.C. unless President Roosevelt ended discrimination in the military industries. The President was hesitant, not wanting to alienate his bigoted white Southern supporters. However, Roosevelt feared Randolph's protest march would result in widespread racial violence. He issued Executive Order 8802, which set up the Fair Employment Practice Committee (FEPC) to enforce equal opportunity hirings. Having achieved his goal, Asa called off the protest march. The author points out that Randolph's work in establishing the FEPC "profoundly shaped the course of the civil rights movement in the post-World War II years."

Cornelius L. Bynum's book is well written and well researched. He draws on a variety of sources, including Randolph's personal documents, now housed at the New York Public Library's Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture. Bynum could have utilized even more sources, particularly local newspapers and census records in order to shed light on Asa's youth in Florida. On the whole, however, A. PHILIP RANDOLPH AND THE STRUGGLE FOR CIVIL RIGHTS is a persuasive account on how Randolph evolved as a civil rights activist and how his work affected America's blacks during the early part of the twentieth century. Recommended.

[Abigail · Rating 2 out of 5]

Read for class, informative but I hate being told what to read 😅

[Paul · Rating 1 out of 5]

Probably the worst attempt at intellectual history that I have ever read. Incompetent from start to finish.