“America’s First Freedom Rider” and “Streetcar to Justice: How Elizabeth Jennings Won the Right to Ride in New York”

One hundred years before Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on a bus in Montgomery, Alabama, Elizabeth Jennings refused to leave a segregated streetcar in the Five Points neighborhood of Manhattan. She went on to successfully sue the Third Avenue Railway Company for forcibly ejecting her from a streetcar in Manhattan in 1854.

Jennings was just one of the names shared by Mr. Madison in his Trolleyology presentation. We’re happy to report that there are not one, but two books that offer even more information about Jennings:

• “America’s First Freedom Rider” by Jerry Mikorenda recounts the history and Jennings’ impact on desegregating public transit at length. This book offers a deep-dive into not only her ejection from a streetcar and the following trial, but into the backgrounds and lives of Jennings, her family, and her lawyer.
• “Streetcar to Justice: How Elizabeth Jennings Won the Right to Ride in New York” by Amy Hill Hearth also explores Jennings’ story. However, unlike other titles on this reading list, this book is advertised for readers ages 8 to 12. Though not as in-depth as “America’s First Freedom Rider”, this book still features archival maps, photos, and reproductions of handwritten reports and newspaper clippings. It’s an excellent read for families and for younger historians in the making.

“Right to Ride: Streetcar Boycotts and African American Citizenship in the Era of Plessy v. Ferguson”

Written by Author Blair L. M. Kelley, this thoroughly researched book documents the earliest struggles against Jim Crow era laws and practices. The majority of the book examines activism and streetcar boycotts at the beginning of the twentieth century, particularly focusing on New Orleans, Richmond, and Savannah. Some pages are also spent documenting landmark events in cities such as New York – including the legal victory of Elizabeth Jennings. 

In addition to recounting the actions of multiple cities and communities, the book as a whole offers new insight into the resistance and organization against the earliest laws segregating trains and streetcars. It also explains how these early protests and laws later impacted the efforts of other historic figures. For example, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was indicted by a grand jury in 1956 for violating the very antiboycott laws used to end the aforementioned streetcar boycotts. It’s an extremely insightful read, and its writing is accessible to anyone interested in learning more about this part of history.

“Rising from the Rails: Pullman Porters and the Making of the Black Middle Class”

Railroading history is just as important and interesting to us as transit history. And where our previously recommended reading explores on-the-ground efforts of activists and lawyers, Larry Tye’s book focuses more on the social history and cultural impact of the Pullman porters.

When the Pullman Company – a manufacturer of railroad cars – began its overnight service in the 1860s, it intentionally hired Black men as porters. These jobs were known to be exhausting and hard work; wages were low, hours were long, and workers spent weeks or months away from home. They were also one of the best and most respected jobs available to African American men at that point in time. They gave workers the opportunity to travel, socialize, and learn throughout the country. A case can be made that these workers played a major role in spreading jazz across the continent. Ultimately, as they traveled on the rails and fought for union recognition, the Pullman porters helped create and enlarge America’s Black middle class – a journey that’s documented in this book.

“Railroads in the African American Experience: A Photographic Journey”

We’ve all heard the saying, “A picture is worth a thousand words.” That definitely describes this book by Theodore Kornweibel, which provides an illustrated look at the ways African American history and railroading history intersect. 

Historically, railroads have represented both opportunity and exploitation, and these contrasting representations are apparent in Kornweibel’s book. For example, railroads themselves were often built with slave labor. Post-Civil War, African American employees were essential in the operations and successes of American railroads, yet were treated poorly by employers. Black Americans also relied on railroads to travel throughout the country, even as they dealt with segregation practices. 

Kornweibel dedicates each chapter of his book to a different occupation or experience that Black riders had on the rails. It’s a powerful documentation of social, cultural, political, and economic influence of African Americans on railroads and of railroads on the Black community.