Miles of Smiles, Years of Struggle: Stories of Black Pullman Porters

by Jack Santino

Book Overview

As service workers in a luxurious sleeping-car train system, Pullman porters had both the highest status in the black community and the lowest rank on the train. They were trapped in the dual roles of charming host and obedient servant, and their constant smiles--even in the face of unreasonable demands by white passengers--were part of the job requirement. Jack Santino's interviews with retired porters provide extensive firsthand accounts of their...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0252061942
• ISBN13: 9780252061943
• Release Date: March 1991
• Publisher: University of Illinois Press
• Length: 192 Pages
• Weight: 0.76 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 6.0" x 9.0"