As Oaklanders celebrate Black History Month, a local symbol of Black labor organizing marks a milestone. The historic 16th Street Station has been officially listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
We hope this designation will aid in restoration efforts to bring this 1912 building to its former glory, while celebrating its role as a vital organizing center for the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters (BSCP) - the country's first Black labor union.
There are many reasons this building is special. The 16th Street Station is not just an excellent example of the Beaux-Arts Classical architectural style; it may be, in the words of the Oakland Heritage Alliance, "the grandest railroad station ever built in the San Francisco Bay Area." It also served as an important transit hub, serving millions of people - locals as well as travelers from afar. They passed through the luxurious waiting room after embarking from a cross-country trek on a Southern Pacific train, made a transfer to Oakland Pier to catch a ferry to San Francisco, caught the Interurban Electric Railway to work, or boarded an Amtrak to parts unknown.
The Station was the first impression of Oakland for countless new arrivals to the city. Among these arrivals were African Americans from the South, who came to the Bay Area by the tens of thousands between 1940 and 1970. Many settled in West Oakland due to its proximity to wartime jobs in the shipyards, and post-war industrial work. West Oakland was home to a burgeoning Black middle-class community before WWII as well, due in large part to the 16th St Station and the Pullman Company.
The policy of the Pullman Company was to only employ Black men as porters for their luxurious sleeping cars. While these jobs provided steady work, prestige, and the opportunity to travel, the pay was miserable: $60 per month (for more senior employees) for often 300-400 hours of work. After decades of low wages and exploitation, a group of porters (led by organizer A. Philip Randolph) formed the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters in New York City in 1925.
Oakland was immediately recognized as an important organizing target for the BSCP, given its location as the terminus of the transcontinental railroad and a place where many porters lived. A retired porter in Oakland named Morris "Dad" Moore volunteered to lead the effort. Already in his late 70s, Dad Moore was well-known to Oakland porters - including Cottrell Lawrence (C.L) Dellums.
In January 1926, Randolph visited Oakland to organize local porters. He left a great impression on Dellums and Moore, who teamed up to bring more porters into the Brotherhood. An organizing committee was formed, as well as a women's auxiliary. By the end of 1926, Oakland had its division of the BSCP, and this local was recognized by the American Federation of Labor (AFL) as an affiliated chapter in 1929.
February 25, 1926, Oakland Tribune
Oakland Post-Enquirer, June 7, 1928
C.L. Dellums was vice president of the BSCP for nearly 30 years, and then succeeded A. Philip Randolph as president in 1968. Dellums also served as the West Coast regional director of the NAACP, and led the fight for fair employment practices in California. A statue in his honor stands at Oakland's Amtrak station in Jack London Square. His nephew, Ronald V. Dellums, became a 13-term US Congressman and Mayor of Oakland (2007-2011).
Less is known about Morris "Dad" Moore, the man who worked for decades as a Pullman porter and later dedicated the last years of his life to BSCP organizing. Dellums recounts many of Moore's efforts in The Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters: C.L. Dellums and the fight for fair treatment and Civil Rights, by Robert L. Allen. Writer Will Spires shared his research into Moore's life in his article, "The Quest for 'Dad' Moore" in the book Sights and sounds: essays in celebration of West Oakland. (This title is available online here.)
Please see more information on Pullman Porters here: Oakland's Pullman Porters
And don't miss AAMLO's Study Guide on the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters!
Digitized items from AAMLO's C.L. Dellums Papers on Calisphere
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