On August 25, 1925, the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters (BSCP) was organized at a mass meeting held at the Elks Hall in Harlem. A. Philip Randolph, a key figure in labor and civil rights movements, was elected as the first president. The BSCP was significant because it was the first African American labor union to receive a charter from the American Federation of Labor (AFL). The union fought for better working conditions, pay, and rights for Black porters working on railroad sleeping cars.

Randolph’s leadership helped the union gain recognition and respect, and the BSCP became a symbol of Black workers’ fight for equality and justice in the workplace. The success of the BSCP was also a crucial moment in the broader civil rights movement, as it demonstrated the power of organized labor in advancing social change.