In celebration of Black History Month, and with advance thanks to best-selling author Larry Tye who will be presenting to guests at Hildene on February 16th, 2020. The Museum Store is pleased to share Rising from the Rails: Pullman Porters and the Making of the Black Middle Class. In a recent press release, Hildene Staff member Paula Maynard wrote:

Larry Tye’s insightful preface to Rising From the Rails hints at what he will talk about upon his visit to Hildene: “The most influential black man in America for the hundred years following the Civil War was a figure no one knew. He was not educator Booker T. Washington or the sociologist W.E.B. DuBois, although both were inspired by him. He was the one black man to appear in more movies than Harry Belafonte or Sidney Poitier. He discovered the North Pole alongside Admiral Peary and helped give birth to the blues. He launched the Montgomery bus boycott that sparked the civil rights movement – and tapped Martin Luther King Jr. to lead both. The most influential black man in America was the Pullman porter.” For his talk, Tye plans to focus on the Pullman porters’ 100 year legacy of rising from the rails and tearing down racial barriers. He will discuss why what these amazing men did resonates today, more than ever.

We are very much looking forward to Tye's visit, and hope his talk, the reception following, and visitor access to Hildene's own Pullman railcar, spurs many conversations. For those of you who are unable to attend but wish to purchase the book, we offer it for sale in-person, from The Museum Store, and from our online store by clicking the link below (REMEMBER: Hildene Members receive a 10% discount!).