Philip Randolph And The Civil Rights Movement

Asa Philip Randolph once said, "Freedom is never granted: It is won. Justice is never given: It is exacted. Freedom and justice must be struggled for by the oppressed of all lands and races". In the quote, he talks about the Civil Rights Movement and how black people must fight for their rights. Although many do not know who he is, Randolph was a dedicated "Big 6" Leader of the Civil Rights Movement. He lived from 1889-1979 and during his long life, he constantly participated in the Civil Rights Movement. Some of his most influential contributions to the Civil Rights Movement include fighting for equal rights in the labor industries, demanding equal rights in the armed forces, and organizing the famous March on Washington. These marvelous feats

If they were African-American, they were often treated unfairly compared to white workers and Philip Randolph wanted to change this. In 1925, a group of black railroad workers queried him to lead their union because they were paid low wages and lived in a terrible environment. He became the organizer of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters, an agency to better the treatment of black railroad workers, which made a huge impact on the labor industry and the civil rights movement. After many years of hard work by Philip Randolph, the union was later recognized by the American Federation of Labor as the first Black union in America. Later on, the agency eventually signed a contract with the company they worked for which lowered their work hours and increased the amount of money they made. This changed African Americans' rights by creating an example for other mostly black labor agencies. Philip Randolph inspired many company owners to give more rights to African Americans in the working class. This is one reason that Philip Randolph highly contributed to the Civil Rights

When it was Randolph's turn to speak, he told the audience that the huge numbers of the crowd would show the whole US that the Civil Rights Movement was to be taken seriously. He also spoke of many other topics such as integrated schools, equal jobs, and freedom for people of all backgrounds. the March on Washington that Randolph planned became one of the most famous protests of the Civil Rights Movement and influenced Congress to pass the Civil Rights Act of 1964 which guaranteed equal rights for African Americans. Hence, Randolph's hard work that he put into planning a huge protest at the capital city of the US shows his dedication to the Civil Rights Movement. In conclusion, A. Philip Randolph made history-making impacts in the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s by making sure people in the labor movement are being treated fairly, exacting the president to ban segregation in the military, and designing one of the most famous and inspirational protests of the Civil Rights Movement. These amazing contributions prove that Randolph may not be known well but was one of the most influential icons of the Civil Rights