Asa Philip Randolph
Union Organizer/Negotiator and Civil Rights Crusader
1889-1979
- Born on April 15, 1889 in Crescent City, Florida to Elizabeth and James William Randolph, an A.M.E. church preacher.
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Randolph attended high school at Cookman Institute in Jacksonville, Florida.
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Randolph went to New York City where he attended the College of the City of New York. After college, he worked for
Consolidated Edison Company in New York as a porter.
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He and a friend started the "Messenger," a magazine designed to achieve fair treatment for Black workers.
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In 1925, Randolph secretly unionized nearly 12,000 Black porters, who were earning an average of $2.00 per day at the Pullman
Company.
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After 12 years of struggle, the president of the Pullman Company signed the demands on A. Philip Randolph's union on August 25,
1937. This was the first time in American history that an agreement was signed between a Black Worker's Union and an American
company.
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In 1940, A. Philip Randolph was appointed to the New York Housing Authority by mayor Firorelli H. LaGuardia. In this role,
Randolph fought racial prejudice in housing.
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From 1940 - 1948, Randolph worked to assist in desegregating the armed forces and the U.S. government.
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In 1942, Randolph was awarded the NAACP Spingarn Medal for outstanding achievement by a Black American.
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In 1955, Randolph was appointed to the AFL-CIO Executive Council.
Asa Philip Randolph led a 10,000 student march in Washington, DC against desegregation in schools.
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He assisted in planning and execution of the 1963 March of Washington in which over 250,000 people participated, and Dr. Martin
Luther King, Jr. delivered his world-renown "I Have a Dream" speech.
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Randolph dedicated his entire adult life for equality and fairness for oppressed people in the United States.
- A. Philip Randolph died on May 16, 1979 at the age of 90 years old.