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"I come to be a superman, one of them fellows that was just made for the business because I was quick to learn. I caught on pretty good." -Abraham Moses Moses never had to ask for a promotion because the company men were quick to notice his ability to lead. They challenged other gang bosses to perform at Moses's level. At Jarka, the longshore company where he worked, Moses set the standard for gang bosses.
In their own words
“’McNamara and Mr. Dugan come on the ship where I was working, said, ‘Moses?’ ‘Yes sir, Captain, what is it?’ ‘We are going to make a gang boss out of you.’ ‘Oh,’ I say, ‘Captain, a gang boss?’…One of the fellows that had been on hand for a long while…he says, “Hey you're giving the new gang all the money, … He says, ”Well,” said, “We are getting producement off of the man.’ And he said, ‘Why wouldn't we give him work?’ Said, ‘He gives satisfaction. The company’s well pleased with him...that's how he gets the work. And when you learn to hire men that can work and do work, then we’ll give you work too.’” |
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“I had been a fire buff all my life, since I was a kid—about ten. And I knew all of the signals and everything before I went in, and I knew quite a bit about the fire department.” –Joseph Marshall Although Marshall was a skilled professional and studied electrical and industrial engineering at the college level, promotions were extremely difficult to obtain because of racial discrimination. He had a great understanding about firefighting before joining the department, and when he was appointed, he stuck close to his first Lieutenant, Charlie Gill, who he described as a mentor. Marshall continued to acquire knowledge about the different types of structures and construction of buildings in the city, and naturally took a leadership role in the department.
In their own words
"So I looked around. I said, "Lieutenant." I said, "This ceiling's not gonna hold." He didn't answer me. So, there were two companies on the east balcony, a truck company and an engine company. They had a water line. Ceiling hadn't been opened up…. I turned around to the rest of the group, and I could've been reported for it, but he didn't report me. I said, "Everyone on Eleven's line, back it out!" See, because I knew that ceiling was not gonna hold..." "So, we backed it out, and we no sooner got to the end of the balcony, when… the chief engineer, Ross B. Davis comes up the steps and he looks in, and he says, "Take that line back on that balcony, get a ceiling hook, and open up a hole in that ceiling. Play your line through that hole." And boy, oh boy, I became apprehensive, then. …"I hit the ceiling with the ceiling hook," and just as he drew back, it cracked down front. And I'm gonna tell you, whew, I wish I could describe it more vividly. Big sheets of that ceiling was cracking and falling and crashing… only two…were hurt. The rest of them got clear. But it didn't have to happen. It didn't have to happen. If you had been a student of the game, it would not have happened. My lieutenant wasn't.." |
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"I was vice-president and member of the board of directors when I retired." - Charles Ealy Ealy was in charge of the day to day operations of Citizens' and Southern Bank. The employees of the bank relied on Ealy for guidance and to keep them thinking positively on a daily basis. Ealy was also part of the National Negro Business League, which tried to foster cooperative buying among grocers. He never stopped fighting for Black equality in the business world. After he retired, he started his own mortgage company where he was able to provide scholarships for promising Black students to attend the University of Pennsylvania Wharton School of Business.
In their own words
"I think I can truthfully, truthfully say this: there has never been, and I cannot foresee there ever will be, an institution that could pay all its deposits off, on demand. And that was a method that was used, that institutions are using today. Deposits first and come to borrowing. Yet, he owed me five thousand dollars. You got 3,000 on deposit. Pay me and I pay him. That was a team that was established by the Citizens Southern Bank and Trust Company. As time goes on, that team’s become brighter and more effective, effective. Another, fine fate of the Citizens Southern Bank and Trust Company through the many years of his, of his, of its existence under management that was found, under which it was founded, it never borrowed from its correspondent bank but once, which was at the beginning, a small sum of twenty five hundred dollars. Paid it off in less than 60 days. From then, from then on, all through the years, Depression and whatnot, never borrowed a dime from its correspondent bank or any other source. It’s a marvelous record. And I’m saying I’m very happy to have been a part of that team." |
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[On Horn & Hardart serving African Americans] "Yeah, they did it, because they didn't want people to say that they didn't, you know? I think they just did it reluctantly. I don't believe that they really--because if they did, they would have promoted me, you know?" - Leon Grimes By the early 1960s, thousands of African-American waiters, waitresses, busboys and "kitchen-men" had had enough with the racism they had experienced in the workplace when over 60 Philadelphia based hotels and restaurants were brought before a hearing held in the city by Senator Williams regarding their discriminatory practices. Leon Grimes showed his true, courageous character when he testified against Horn & Hardart during this hearing, which eventually led to the City of Philadelphia banning discriminatory employment policies, which had been carried out by many businesses in the region. Grimes's simple yet courageous act of speaking out against injustice led to the improvement of working conditions not only for himself, but thousands of other African Americans employed in the hospitality sector.
in their own words
“But, I fought the union. I mean, I didn't fight the union, I fought the company. Because finally the government got in on it. The United States government got on it.” … “Anyhow, he was the one that held a hearing here, and the government got in on it, and I was one of the witnesses, because I had complained, you know, and I fought against this discrimination, and stuff like that." |