Black History Month 2016: Labour leader George Beckford

© 2021, Christian Cassidy

 

My column in today's Winnipeg Free Press is about the life of George H. Beckford and the plight of Winnipeg's Black railway porters in the 19-teens and 20s.

Beckford came to Winnipeg in 1913. Initially, he appeared determined not to become a railway porter, one of the only careers open to Black men in the city at the time. Twice he started working as a porter then soon left to go into business. In the end, he spent 34 years with the CNR.

During the 1940s, Beckford became one of the city's most respected labour leaders. He was chair of the Sleeping Car Porters Union, on the executive of the Brotherhood of Railway Employees, and a long time member of the executive of the Winnipeg Labour Council.

Sources of information about Beckford are few, but I think I managed to cobble together a decent biography. Hopefully it will spark someone else to dive into labour archives at the local and national level to find out more.

More Canadian Railway Porter History
- North of the Colour Line: Sleeping Car Porters and the Battle Against Jim Crow on Canadian Rails, 1880-1920
- The Road Taken National Film Board of Canada
- Beckford portrait source: Canadian Labour Congress photo archive 

The Craig Bloc, 795 Main Street, in 2015

In my decade of blogging I have come across numerous stories about the city's Black community. One thing that strikes me is that much of the built history related to that history - early churches, clubs, and rooming houses are all now demolished. The one exception is the Craig Block at 795 Main Street.

From the 1920s to the 1980s, the Craig Block was home to numerous Black organizations and services.

Beckford would have been familiar with the building. From the 1930s through 1950s it housed the offices and hall for the Order of Sleeping Car Porters and the Sleeping Car Porters Social and Charitable Association on the upper floor. 

There is nothing on the building or in its brief history write-up by the city's Historic Buildings Committee to commemorate this important piece of history.

For more blog posts about the history of Manitoba's Black community.