The “All Aboard” Series continues at the L&N Depot, Saturday, March 27, 8:30AM with “The Pullman Porter: The African American Presence and the Rail Passenger Experience”  presented by Dr. John H. Hardin,  professor Western Kentucky University.

“Larry Tye, author of “Rising from the Rail”, proclaims “The most influential black man in America for the hundred years following the Civil War was a figure no one knew….. the Pullman porter”, states Sharon Tabor, Executive Director.  “The legacy of the Pullman Porter is a fascinating and intriguing story.  The original Porter’s were former southern slaves.  Their employment with the railroad was fundamental in creating middle-class African-American society.  Porters and their descendents were some of the most influential people in America and helped eliminate segregation in America.  We are honored that Dr. Hardin will be sharing the story of the Pullman Porter and what their presence on the railroad meant to our culture and society. “

“I have a personal interest in presenting the story of the Pullman Porter”, states Dr. Hardin. “My grandfather was a Pullman porter and I remember rail passenger travel during the era of racial segregation and offer my memories of that era via rail travel. As an historian of African American history, I tell how the Pullman porters fought  racist practices in a quiet way by not being the victims  but using their jobs to provide for their families in dignified way.”

Dr. Hardin’s specialty is 20th century African American history. A native of Frankfort, Dr. Harding received his Ph.D from the University of Michigan and has published two books on Kentucky African Americans: Onward and Upward: A Centennial History of Kentucky State University 1886-1986 and Fifty Years of Segregation: Black Higher Education in Kentucky 1904-1954.  He is also a co-editor and consultant on Community Memories: A Glimpse of African Americans in Frankfort, Kentucky and The Kentucky African American Encyclopedia: Black Life and Culture in the Commonwealth.

The “All Aboard” meeting is free and open to the public. Coffee and Danish will be served.