The 16th Street Station is one of three original train stations that served Oakland, California at the start of the 20th century. For many decades, the 16th Street Station was a major railroad station of the Southern Pacific railroad in Oakland as well as local commuter services. The Station was also home to the history of the Pullman Porters. While the west coast is pinned as one of the more progressive parts of our country in many African Americans faced discrimination in this part of the country also. The Pullman Porters were men hired by George Pullman to work on the railroads as porters on sleeping cars. The Pullman Porters actively served on theses “sleeping trains” from 1870-1960’s. Many African Americans were not allowed to work elsewhere and were not paid fair amounts, so it is quite obvious that this was the premier job for many African Americans at the time. The hiring of these African Americans on the sleeping cars lead to the creation of the first African American labor union, Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters. This union was organized by the Pullman porters and became one of the most powerful African-American political entities, encouraging many other African Americans around the world to unionize. Dr. King credited the Civil Rights Movement to the Brotherhood of the Sleeping Car Porters, ultimately stating that if it wasn’t for these men, it is very likely that the Civil Rights movement wouldn’t have been able to organize as it did.
Ode to West Oakland 