I am the associate director for Public Programs and exhibitions. Thank you for joining us for tonight news conversation with eric eight washington is an independent scholar and author denies book, gretz. The live of James H Williams and three cats of Grand Central terminal. This program is an ongoing series of programs hosted in conjunction with current exhibition about the harlan. If you have not had a chance to take those look at the exhibition, it will be up through the end of december. And very much there all of these things inside of that exhibition that i think you will hear about tonight. And also my own historical knowledge about how harlem examines several strands of black place making in the 20th century. Offering views of residents and institutions committed to Community Animation education, and different Political Engagement and coastal affirmation global perspectives, and creativity. They highly includes the brotherhood of of car porters, which the first union for black workers which really the pulp home porters, also find selections from ruby ossie davis collection which we recently acquired. Also items from our pipes and much more. We have two more about harlem conversations coming up that you should save the date. On november 13th, you will be having a conversation about sculpt best savage with curator jeff green and hayes, and standing. That is again on november 13th at 630. The other event is taking place in december and is the conversation about making community. Going to be talking about barbershops and how they are convenient of course in the black community. We are hosting the program in partnership with dan barbershop chronicles. By nigerias and nearly loan leads a rich tapestry of an filter stories about fatherson relationships in black masculinity sent to fob. And of course are so much more happening here the Schaumburg Center so please pick up one of our brochures and ahaz, a beautiful photo of morrison on the cover. You can also visit our website at Schaumburg Center. Org and register or our events on event. In this time please take those moment to fellowship and silent cell phones as i introduced a nice author and the remind you that we will have a book signing following the conversation. So eric eight washington is new york citybased independent historian and author. He is the owner of past which endeavors to reconnect the history to president landscape to articles and talks and tours particularly and some areas of upper manhattan. His exhibition script has included National Civil rights museum, new york library and city college. An interpretive signage and was harlem park, which run Municipal Art Society award. Son rays the waterfront location of this first book, manhattanville. Old heart of west harlem. And its kurts book is the biography just published by thats right. And a vision of ww norton. At Columbia UniversityNews CommunityCollege Scholars program. Levi center for biography. In residency at the msa h door and more house. The notebook is the live of James H Williams and red caps of Grand Central terminal. Henry introduces an once influential laborer figure who lived between 1878 in 1948. And that similar harlem placed black workforce that he had americas most railroad station whose individual optimists use with the lifeblood of the new Negro Movement and historic renaissance of the 1920s. We will first hear about from eric and then he and i will sit down to have a conversation. So please welcome haley eric washington. [applause]. Thank you. Thank you Schaumburg Center for being a steward of such an incredible collection that was invaluable to my research on this book. I am going to punch item and then we will talk. On the evening of september 14, 19 oh nine, James H Williams sound with fellow redcap station attendants with Grand Central on 53rd street despite the growing exodus to harlem, the street today it was still have a black live. We can only recently been promoted to supervisor easement and chief attendant and this official category name attendant, was rarely used by travelers. And even them and usually refer to themselves by their conspicuous at work. I caps. But this evening News Assembly seemed more formal. Williams and summoned them to discharge to organize the attendance and Beneficial Association of Grand Central terminal. It Grand Central asaph, the number of occupational and emotional distresses, had fueled this particular gathering in red caps. They worked in and around fully functional Railroad Service free app construction crews built up a new terminal complex around the old station. Fatal station accident had claimed one of william zisman, the month before. More personally, his baby daughter had been in the hospital a week later. Such urgencies made red caps selfaware. They were uninsured, and salaried, independent upon tips in this predicament prompted williams news first major demonstration of his new influential position. That september evening, williams called to action spurred his redcap orders to organize their own manova let associated composed of Grand Central employees, to eight members in case of six for injury or death. As officers the new mutual aid society, and duly elected chief williams as president. And as assistant chief samuel chelsea metals, then setting for the occupation it was just him into history the sergeant at arms. This 19 oh nine incident in the telling victory to me. Fraternal based labor of course that eight had from Grand Central station borders. The brotherhood of car porters. Founded in 1925 which in turn on inspire red caps only similar National Movement in 1937. A decadelong span williams tenure, the threat of the redcap news impact on both Grand Central and greater harlem. I think the best way to introduce williams is to start a rating something from the introduction. Its new york city Grand Central terminal lightly celebrated. That is captivated the traveling public for more than a century. It opened in february 12, 1913, the world news largest railroad station was built by the american reading sam and warren and what and more. It showcases the host of such artists accounts, as use of these who want to mental sculpture hercules mercury in the number of of the tiffany clock, around the building entry. And charles pacing, who served volume painted ceiling transports a mind wandering traveler to the heavens but many regarded it as the finest example of beauxarts planning in new york. At once, and architectural conviction, and masterwork innovative design and engineering. Yet the sublime list of Grand Central terminal tennessee pink marble concourses, his cascading ramps and stairs and shadows belies his quintessential operating model. The servitude of africanamerican workers. The servitude in this case was rooted in the american tradition of racial exploitation. Northerners mightve company regarded their territory as the historic leak, enlightened refuge from the r news segregation practices of the south. However 20 century new york city have ample evidence of its own policies. Notably at command central. The stations tightly run system deployed a quote of black men in red caps at the baggage porters who at times numbered in several hundreds. The nature of the quote work is the noted writer eb right observe the new yorker, with some a class with beasts of burden. Indeed, throughout the bustling concourses, they often backbreaking demeaning favor integral both to the stations fnc and to its glamorous ambience. Perhaps it was inevitable that the forces and became a model from numerous railroad stations across the nation. Make categorically identifiable the fight there apparel and other complexion, the black workforce at Grand Central embodied americans colorblind. The bylaws and amendments, and social attitudes that closed doors to blacks. In the united states, the call alondra with the deepseated cultural contrivance, let it fester for generations. His contradictions. And at times, the prohibitions fell only intuitively. Yet they were as palatable as top rope. He could be woven into the collective subconscious by social mores. Or bite deliberate acts. The blacks also found ways to circumvent and mitigate impasses created from whites erected the color live. The event and reconfigured it into opportunities into positions of leverage. Such was the case it Grand Central. Colorblind afforded black workers the means proverbial bull speaking make a way out of no way. Indeed this happened as one of the most iconic Service Occupations of the last entry. It originated at Grand Central depot in 1895. In an event come exclusively black bite 19 oh five. A source of pride that job is coveted by animals invariably associated with africanamerican men. Wheres educated white chance of workers to low and scotus, educated blacks recognized it. As a rare and employment option in era of a rigid racial barriers. Grand Central AfricanAmerican College students, read capping as a means to pay their way through school. Men who created this opportunity for securing a foothold to a professional and social advancement, was James H Williams, singular individual whose history Grand Central terminal, is deep in urban leaving legend and mythology of the landmark we know today. Want to informally inflate africanamerican plate parents in 1870, williams broke the live of Grand Central redcap attendance in 19 oh three. Upon williams is higher the former public provider that attendants are not porters to carry baggage printed but rather were on hand to assist station passengers. They began taking on a new definition. Starting in 19 oh nine, william served as achieve attendant of Grand Central terminal. His first and most notable African American officer. Oh man and that he remained in that position until his death in 1948. In his capacity, he embodied in a unique juncture and white america. His influential 45 tenure made station, not only a gateway to americas greatest city, just much gateway to the nation news greatest africanamerican neighborhood on them. He supervised a staff of men who were relegated by race to the lowest stratum of the stations workforce. The brawl was integral into the railroad system, like their Railroad Running ken, slipping borders, were also american africanamerican. The station bound red caps were crucial to the swift watch precision of the terminal and woven into the experience of early 20th Century Railroad travel. Williams live, was cited with key periods the evolving social and cultural world of the African Americans. And experiences out the window, on post civil war america and the heavy optimism of the reconstruction era. We followed williams at the man, he was inactive if unassuming agent of the early 20th century ideological cause of racial public. This drove to call white prejudice through self black improvement through education and business and labor and the arts. And then in the 1920 news which fueled a unique movement, in the harlem renaissance, and we follow him through two world wars. It was williams who ingeniously transformed outwardly self job into a coveted employment opportunity. Be interim, permanent, roman live, and the new york tribune, would observe, williams chief offered scores of promising the physically strapped young black college men on the way to a report by water working on redcap as luggage supporters. Many of them were at letterman, example of the social network of the blacks of themselves, join they were categorically barred, from the white fraternities into the private white institutions. Academic consoles notwithstanding, this black race, as well as their unschooled brothers of the race. They worked as an salaried labors. They were ubiquitous throughout the terminals opulent concourses eating trumps and releases in touch with satchels and pens. And toting the golf clubs and of bustling travelers only dependent upon tips. While this story is obviously about race and labor, is also overwhelmingly about personal industry and resourcefulness and philanthropy. Over the course of his live, seismic shifts in history happened. At the new york central employee, he ushered statement, many starts, society elite, sports heroes, clergy, and octant notables to a different train with marginal disability. He stood out conspicuously among africanamericans as the chief. He created a platform to employ blackman to sustain black students and showcase the race in the most admirable plate. In this capacity as the boss of the grip strength gives me a term applied to both baggage and handlers, it was part of the Central Nervous system of harlem renaissance. The story era of harlem news cultural literary and artistic thanks christian. It was also renaissance of business and industry and race enterprises as well as concerted africanamerican labeling specific limits in which influence was noticed. People admire him as a partially person in front of the. He generally touch others is it too. The day after he died, the journalist plan, had to go to chicago. So had been the Grand Central for ticket on the 20th century limited. For many, working. New york to chicago train, which new york central advertised as the most famous train in the world, anticipated the side of chief williams of the gate. The main concourse, crown and into some old conference, season trips, he knew from when he redcap for summer away from school. The vast majority of passengers were going to chicago. They didnt know about williams news death and they did not step. The brown and maybe some of the caps, saw a couple of strangers. Two old white passengers. Friend of the chief and said they read in the morning paper. They were crying. So i wondered, who was this black man is passing elicited grief among both friends and strangers in the tracing live of James H Williams, was fascinating task, and intrusive nature of his job. But it was not invisible. He has brought amend of lazy, and the chronicles of this time, he take shape and fleshes out and breads. [applause]. Thank you already know what you have to do at the end of this program. 2. 1 i will be calling chief williams both as that was the title hoodie and carries and also i wanted you take those moment to give a special shout out and thanks to Margaret Edwards is the great great good driver of chief williams was here today. [applause]. Thank you for joining us. So how does your isle as well as what i found in the book, you have an amazing job of illuminating the existence of people. And the impact of what they had on society. Using the intro that it is the fascinating task. I am curious how you unearth and develop this composition is the manlike chief williams in the absence of a formal archive. In many ways. Sometimes, the easy part is finding in their names and repeated in newspaper articles or citations in somebody elses document or whatever. Sometimes is just a name on the list of people who were attended gathering in a party or a meeting. Im one of those people who i just might like name. White widow who that person is. To see if theres somebody or anybody. More often than not join you are surfing for someone or something, you dont necessarily find what you looking for right away. You might find Something Else that captures your attention. In that way, their different strategies and non strategies for digging and finding people are just everyday people. Sheena clark vessels good about that think they were causally telling people news names and telling stories maybe shouldnt know. [laughter]. Simon. One of the things that was great was having databases and looking through, the black press particularly join there was a gathering or an event, there seem to be the sort of list equal think. Everybody is sort of just listed. The first you might want to think, why are they there. Well nobody else is going to mention them and i was really grateful because i can collect stories we read over again delay from a huge gathering. I just everybody. And i can go back and see now that ive been kim familiar with these names. I can find them. That was very useful. Just having a lot of these names go forward. In sum, i do find other ways of finding out who those people were who looked interesting. Is the beginning, chief williams parents were part of the wave of migration to new york the reconstruction. The population here in new york swelled to 1,901,980, is the only biography you think of chief williams but also offers a massive black new york during lite 1000 hundreds 1940s. Could you talk a little bit about the black communities. News parents were both enslaved in virginia same county. I hadnt come across any evidence that they knew one another there. It seems that they probably met in new york. The bank records which were very record very useful, there were two, 1870s 72 where he is in virginia and it was said that he was a runaway. From slavery. After the war he had family and went back to virginia. He was a hotel waiter and norwalk, virginia or the other way around. [laughter]. And virginia working at the hotel. I always mixes up. The next year, hes in new york. Hes working at this posh hotel in new york. Hes leaving in