One Great 150 - John Robinson

In the eighth episode of our One Great 150 series, we talk about John Robinson, a railcar porter and labour activist who founded one of the first black-led unions in North America. We discuss the exclusion of black workers from railway unions, the creation of the Order of Sleeping Car Porters, and how Robinson's union responded to the Winnipeg General Strike.

 

Project funded in part by the Winnipeg Foundation’s Centennial Institute Grant, the Province of Manitoba’s Heritage Grant, and the Winnipeg Free Press.