A. Philip Randolph

Date of Birth: April 15, 1889

Zodiac Sign: Aries

Date of Death: May 16, 1979

Biography

A. Philip Randolph was an influential African American labor unionist and civil rights activist who played a pivotal role in advocating for the rights and fair treatment of African American workers. Born in Crescent City, Florida, Randolph moved to Harlem, New York, where he immersed himself in the burgeoning civil rights movement. He co-founded the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters (BSCP) in 1925, the first predominantly African American labor union to receive a charter in the American Federation of Labor. Randolph’s leadership in the BSCP led to significant improvements in wages and working conditions for African American railway porters. Randolph was also a prominent figure in the broader civil rights movement. He was a key organizer of the 1941 March on Washington, which pressured President Franklin D. Roosevelt to issue Executive Order 8802, banning discrimination in defense industries and federal bureaus. In 1963, alongside other civil rights leaders, he organized the historic March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his iconic “I Have a Dream” speech.

5 Interesting Facts about A. Philip Randolph

1. A. Philip Randolph was the first president of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters, the first predominantly African American labor union.

2. He successfully lobbied President Franklin D. Roosevelt to issue Executive Order 8802, which prohibited racial discrimination in the defense industry and federal employment.

3. Randolph was a key organizer of the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, which was a pivotal moment in the civil rights movement.

4. He founded the League for Nonviolent Civil Disobedience Against Military Segregation, which contributed to the desegregation of the armed forces.

5. Randolph received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1964 for his contributions to civil rights and labor movements.

5 Most Interesting Quotes from A. Philip Randolph

1. “Freedom is never given; it is won.”

2. “Salvation for a race, nation, or class must come from within.”

3. “At the banquet table of nature, there are no reserved seats. You get what you can take, and you keep what you can hold.”

4. “A community is democratic only when the humblest and weakest person can enjoy the highest civil, economic, and social rights that the biggest and most powerful possess.”

5. “Justice is never given; it is exacted, and the struggle must be continuous, for freedom is never a final fact, but a continuing evolving process to higher and higher levels of human, social, economic, political, and religious relationship.”

Highest Net Worth Achieved

A. Philip Randolph’s highest net worth is not well-documented, as his contributions were primarily in the realm of social justice and labor rights rather than personal financial gain.