sleeping car porter

A sleeping car porter is a railroad employee who attends to passengers in overnight train cars—making up berths, carrying luggage, and providing service during the journey.

In the United States, the position was historically filled almost exclusively by Black men, particularly through the Pullman Company from the 1860s through the mid-20th century.

The job offered steady employment during Jim Crow but came with long hours, low pay, and the indignity of being called "George" (after company founder George Pullman) regardless of one's actual name.

Pullman porters helped found the first major Black labor union, the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters.