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Black brakemen, switchmen, and conductors working under porter title

CTL-E-1023 · Institution · other · early-mid 20th century

PROVISIONAL evidence grade of this record

Black railroad workers who performed skilled operating-craft work (braking, switching, conductor duties) but were retained under the title and pay of 'porter.'

Notes

Merged into canonical KG 2026-10-03 from TECH-001; source entity IDs: CTL-DR-TECH-001:TECH-E-007; source research type(s): None.

Sources

Record CTL-E-1023 · CultureTechLens Knowledge Graph · evidence grade: PROVISIONAL · 2 sources · CTL research: TECH-001.
Directory: all entity records · the knowledge graph

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Cite as: CultureTechLens, “Black brakemen, switchmen, and conductors working under porter title (CTL-E-1023),” CultureTechLens Knowledge Graph, October 2026. https://culturetechlens.com/graph/entities/ctl-e-1023/

Chicago: CultureTechLens. “Black brakemen, switchmen, and conductors working under porter title (CTL-E-1023).” CultureTechLens Knowledge Graph. Chicago, IL: CultureTechLens, 2026. https://culturetechlens.com/graph/entities/ctl-e-1023/
APA: CultureTechLens. (2026). Black brakemen, switchmen, and conductors working under porter title (CTL-E-1023) [Entity record]. CultureTechLens Knowledge Graph. https://culturetechlens.com/graph/entities/ctl-e-1023/
MLA: CultureTechLens. “Black brakemen, switchmen, and conductors working under porter title (CTL-E-1023).” CultureTechLens Knowledge Graph, 2026, https://culturetechlens.com/graph/entities/ctl-e-1023/

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From the Archive

The archive in pictures

Black enterprise — the shops, banks, and trades that built it. Photographs from the CultureTechLens research record — rights-cleared, credited, and cited like everything else here.

Only Negro store of its kind in the U.S., at 2933 State St., Chicago, Ill, Chicago, 1941
Only Negro store of its kind in the U.S., at 2933 State St., Chicago, Ill, Chicago, 1941Photo: Du Bois, W. E. B. (William Edward Burghardt), 1868-1963, collector, FSA-OWI, Public Domain, via Library of Congress
Only Negro store of its kind in the U.S., at 2933 State St., Chicago, Ill, Chicago, 1941
Only Negro store of its kind in the U.S., at 2933 State St., Chicago, Ill, Chicago, 1941Photo: Du Bois, W. E. B. (William Edward Burghardt), 1868-1963, collector, FSA-OWI, Public Domain, via Library of Congress
Policeman talking to employee of Ten-cent store whose trade is predominantly Negro. Chicago, Illinois, Chicago, 1941
Policeman talking to employee of Ten-cent store whose trade is predominantly Negro. Chicago, Illinois, Chicago, 1941Photo: Lee, Russell, 1903-1986, FSA-OWI, Public Domain, via Library of Congress

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