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The Porter

by Sondra Roney

May 10, 2022 483 views
 

BET has a new drama series, “The Porter” starring the veteran actress Alfre Woodard and Arnold Pinnock (who is also a co-creator). The eight-episode series is inspired by real life events during the 1920’s.“The Porter” will highlight the plight of the railway workers from both Canada and the United States as they form the first Black union.

After the Great Migration to Chicago and Detroit members grew in numbers as they joined forces with the men from the Caribbean and the U.S. via the Underground Railroad. “The Porter” depicts the Black community in St. Antoine, Montreal, known at the time as the "Harlem of the North." It stars Aml Ameen (Redtails & The Butler) and Ronnie Rowe Jr. - they portray Junior Massey and Zeke Garrett respectively. The two railroad porters are friends from WWI who bump heads about leadership. One is trying to unionize and the other is trying to NOT disrupt the system that is rooted in ongoing racial discrimination and bigotry.

The series sets the pages of the history books in locomotion on our tv screens and on our hand held devices. It airs on BET beginning May 5th. It is all a part of the Canadian television programming on CBC in an effort to present more stories about the Black experience. You will definitely want to add this series to your watch list.

Sondra’s Side Note: Please take the time to add the History of Porters to your research list. Discover how their manuel labor influenced the tipping system that we use today. Learn how they spearheaded a tag team effort with Dr. King to launch the Civil Rights movement with our beloved Rosa Parks. Discover how they were a major distribution outlet for Black Newspapers like the Defender. All published materials with “black news” and Civil Rights efforts were outlawed in the south. We of course found a way around that oppression thanks to the Porters and the growing number of train stops around the country.

*From the History Channel: Children and grandchildren of Porters that would eventually form the nation’s growing Black professional class, many of them going on to become outstanding figures in a vast array of different fields, from law (Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall), politics (San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown, Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley) and journalism (Ethel L. Payne of the Chicago Defender) to music (jazz pianist Oscar Peterson) and sports (Olympic track star Wilma Rudolph).

 
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Sondra Roney
Multi Media Personality - Sondra Roney is a Lifestyle Correspondent and National Voiceover Talent.

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