Southern Pacific's first African-American dining car steward: Metro Disposal Inc. honors Mr. Charles Johnson.
In the words of one of his friends, 100-year-old Charles Johnson, the first African-American man to work as a dining car steward for the old Southern Pacific Railroad, is the "Jackie Robinson of the dining cars."More than 60 years after his historic achievement, Johnson, who lives with his third wife in Altadena, remains proud of his successful fight to become a steward and his contribution toward eliminating the "color line" that restricted opportunities for African Americans.
He said the most important event he has witnessed in his lifetime was "when they broke down the [color] barrier. A black man could be noted for what he knew, not because of his color. Before this, it was hell working when you knew more than your boss."
Johnson's achievement has earned him two major fans--President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama.
The weekend before his birthday on Oct. 25, about 80 of Johnson's friends, relatives and railroad colleagues celebrated his 100th birthday with a party at Brookside Restaurant. In honor of the occasion, Johnson received a birthday card from the Obamas, which read, in part, "You have witnessed great milestones in our nation's history, and your life represents an important part of the American story."
Johnson obtained the steward's job with the help of his union, the Brotherhood of Dining Car Cooks and Waiters, an organization of black men employed by the Southern Pacific that was recognized by the American Federation of Labor. The union supported Johnson during his 12-year fight to be promoted from waiter to steward, which until then had been a job for white men.
Johnson, a lifelong member of the NAACP, recalled that black waiters sometimes performed the steward's duties, but were called "waiters in charge" instead of "stewards," and received less pay. Johnson wanted to become a steward because "They paid you more money [and] you already knew the work."
Stewards supervised the cooks and waiters, greeted and seated passengers, and were responsible for the money received from diners. "You collected the money, made reports and turned the money over to the Southern Pacific in San Francisco," he said. "That's where the [Southern Pacific] headquarters were."
The years before World War II were the heyday of American passenger train travel. For 35 years, Johnson worked on The Morning Daylight train, which made daily trips between Los Angeles and San Francisco. "The people who could afford it had beds in the Pullman cars," he said. "The others slept in the seats; most of the people were in these chair cars. At the time, the chair cars were in front of the train, because they burned coal and debris in front of the train." The more expensive Pullman service cars were placed at the back of the train, behind the dining car.
Unlike many of the other trains, The Morning Daylight "didn't carry any hobos. And when you put your bags down, there was an elevator to carry the bag up the stairs." In addition to a kitchen car, the train featured a coffee shop and a more elegant dining car. Passengers in the dining room were served soup in a cup, which Johnson said, "had to have a top on it," a fish starter, salad and main entree. The salad was served in a big bowl. You could have as much as you wanted, he said.
Johnson was born Oct. 25, 1912, in Gretna, La. When he was 16, he took a job as a busboy at the St. Charles Hotel in nearby New Orleans, where he learned to cook and wait on tables. He was a waiter in Houston when he heard that the Southern Pacific was hiring blacks to work in Los Angeles, so in 1936 he headed to Los Angeles with $10 in his pocket.
After Amtrak took over Southern Pacific's passenger service in 1971, Johnson was made supervisor for the porters, chefs and waiters, working on trains from Seattle to New Orleans. He retired from Amtrak in 1979--after more than 40 years of railroad work. He then taught culinary arts in New York, Boston, Chicago and other places in the country. He is an active participant in the Bible study class at the Scott United Methodist Church in Pasadena and a former vice president of the local chapter of the NAACP.
"I remember the very first time I was in the NAACP," he said. "I was 11 years old. It cost 50 cents a year to join. My father put me in the NAACP."
SOURCE: Pasadena Weekly
www.pasadenoweekly.com/cms/story/detail/historic_connections/11613/
Metro Disposal Inc. www.metrodisposalservice.com
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| Publication: | Diversity Employers |
|---|---|
| Geographic Code: | 1U9CA |
| Date: | Jan 1, 2013 |
| Words: | 769 |
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