Editing Pullman porter (section)

==Characterization==
[[File:PullmanPorter.jpg|thumb|left|Pullman porter photographed at [[Chicago Union Station]], 1943]]

According to Larry Tye, who authored ''Rising from the Rails: The Pullman Porters and the Making of the Black Middle Class'', George Pullman was aware that as former chattel slaves, the men he hired had already received the perfect training and "knew just how to take care of any whim that a customer had". Tye further explained that Pullman was aware that there was never a question that a traveler would be embarrassed by running into one of the porters and having them remember something they had done during their trip that they did not want their wife or husband, perhaps, to know about.<ref name=autogenerated1/>

Black historian and journalist Thomas Fleming began his career as a bellhop and then spent five years as a cook for the [[Southern Pacific Railroad]]. Fleming was the co-founder and executive editor of Northern California's largest weekly African-American newspaper, the ''[[Sun-Reporter]]''.<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.freepress.org/fleming/flemng00.html| title=Thomas Fleming, the nation's oldest and longest-running black journalist, sparkles on the web| first=Max| last=Millard| newspaper=[[Columbus Free Press]]| date=January 1999| access-date=2024-01-05| archive-date=2023-10-02| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231002103405/https://www.freepress.org/fleming/flemng00.html| url-status=live}}</ref> In a weekly series of articles entitled "Reflections on Black History", he wrote of the contradictions in the life of a Pullman porter:

{{blockquote|text=Pullman went on to become the largest single employer of [black people] in America, and the job of Pullman porter was, for most of the 101-year history of the Pullman Company, one of the very best a Black man could aspire to, in status and eventually in pay. The porter reigned supreme on George's sleeper cars. But the very definition of their jobs, of their kingdom, roiled in contradictions. The porter was servant as well as host. He had the best job in his community and the worst on the train. He could be trusted with his white passengers' children and their safety, but only for the five days of a cross-country trip. He shared his riders' most private moments but, to most, remained an enigma if not an enemy.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.freepress.org/fleming/fleming.html |title=Reflections on Black History |newspaper=Columbus Free Press |access-date=2013-07-19 |archive-date=2013-05-16 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130516154007/http://www.freepress.org/fleming/fleming.html |url-status=live}}</ref>}}

In 2008, [[Amtrak]] became aware of The Pullman Porters National Historic Registry of African American Railroad Employees, a five-year research project conducted by Dr. Lyn Hughes, for the [[A. Philip Randolph Pullman Porter Museum]], and published in 2007. Amtrak enlisted the APR Pullman Porter Museum, and partnered with them using the registry to locate and honor surviving Porters through a series of regional ceremonies. Amtrak also attempted to locate additional survivors in order to interview them for a promotional project. A few remaining living former Pullman porters were found, all of whom were in their 90s or over 100 years old at that time. The project coordinator remarked, "Even today, observers are struck by how elegant the elderly men are. When we find them, they are dapper. They are men, even at this age, who wear suits and ties."<ref name="blogspot1">{{cite web |author=Ron |url=http://usslave.blogspot.de/2012/04/pullman-porters.html |title=US Slave: Pullman Porters |publisher=Usslave.blogspot.de |date=2012-04-26 |access-date=2014-02-15 |archive-date=2013-10-14 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131014182905/http://usslave.blogspot.de/2012/04/pullman-porters.html |url-status=live}}</ref>