February marks Black History Month, a time to reflect upon and celebrate the contributions black Americans have made to society. As we thank great leaders like Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King Jr. and President Barack Obama for their contributions to our world, we cannot help but see that black history is Teamster history.
Lucille Goodman Johnson, a shop steward for Local 832 in New York City, graduated from the labor and liberal arts program of the New York State School of Industrial and Labor Relations at Cornell University. The 1970 class was the first of its kind for the two-year program.
Teamster drivers demonstrated their skills behind the wheel in “roadeo” competitions. John Daigle, a member of Local 968 in Houston, won trophies in 1970 for placing first in the regional four-axle class and first in the Texas finals. He also competed in the National Truck Roadeo in Miami that year.
Will Kellogg was a business agent and organizer for Local 406 in Grand Rapids, Mich. He was honored at a dinner for his efforts in organizing and coaching the Grand Rapids Chiefs professional football team. He is pictured here with his wife, Jessie, who was also a member of Local 406. March 1970
Teamster scholarships helped the children of Teamsters to go to college. Debra Caywood and Eddie Weaver Jr. received Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Scholarships from Local 743 in Chicago. October 1969
After a long career as a Teamster truck driver, Revery Garet was selected to join the staff of Local 107 as a business agent. Here he takes the oath of office from Local 107 President Jack Cassidy. August 1969
Teamster Sidney Christian believes that an important aspect of celebrating Black History Month is to broaden our view to include the struggles that blacks have dealt with in other areas of the world. Christian is a member of Local 804 in New York, and has worked for United Parcel Service for 27 years.
Daryl Boyd, a member of Local 813 in New York, believes that while it is good to know about black history, it is just as important to know about labor history.
In one of the last photos of Martin Luther King Jr., Local 522 officers in Jamaica, N.Y. present him with a check to assist with the Poor Peoples’ Campaign. Handing the check to King are Stephen Kingston Jr. and Alfred S. Reger, President and Secretary-Treasurer of Local 522. 1968
Teamsters Thomas Troupe and William Bonnema of Local 725 in Chicago were given awards of appreciation from the Chicago Police Department for pursuing and capturing a gas station bandit. Along with Troupe and Bonnema during the ceremony were Troupe’s wife and Police Superintendent James B. Conlisk who presented the awards. January 1968
Clara Day, who served as an assistant business representative for Local 743, was appointed to serve on the Chicago Commission on Human Relations. Day is shown taking the oath with another commissioner from Mayor Richard Daley in 1967.
Many Teamsters were also dedicated professional athletes. In 1967, two Teamsters boxed for the state heavyweight championship in Sacramento, Calif. After battling for 12 rounds, Henry Clark of Local 860 in San Francisco won the title from Bill McMurray of Local 150 in Sacramento.
Teamster DRIVE members demonstrated the ideals of solidarity as black and white volunteers worked side by side to lobby Congress for the union. Delegates of the Michigan Motorcade arrive in Washington, D.C. in 1965.
In the first few decades of the 20th century, African Americans were treated as second-class citizens in many parts of the country. This was especially the case in the South where Jim Crow and segregation were the institutional laws of the land.
The following article from the Marine Corps News honors the achievements and service blacks have given to the Marine Corps since the early days of our nation.
This is the organizing team that successfully brought into the union 1,044 truck drivers and equipment operators employed by the city of Detroit. From left to right are: John Clinton, Ernest Crawford, Alex Kwiciewski, James Harris, Joe Valenti, Ken Silvers, Aron McIntosh, Mike Jarvis and Thad Dennis. April 1967
Teamster contracts allowed many blacks to move into the middle class and realize the American dream. Herb Bailey (left), Secretary-Treasurer of Local 775 in Denver, congratulates Ferris Cassius, a longtime member of the union who opened his own business after 14 years as a driver for Yellow Cab Company. Rudy Cook (right), business representative for Local 775, points to the address of the new Cassius’ City Park Sundries. May 1966
Teamsters have a long history of heroism on the job. Teamster Ernest S. McBride was honored by the city of Long Beach, Calif. for saving three children from an apartment fire in 1966. McBride, a member of Local 88, ran into the apartment and gathered the children when he heard screams while working at the apartment complex. McBride earned a good-citizen commendation from the city for his efforts.
Children of Teamsters were often leaders in their communities. In November 1965, Debra Adams (center) is congratulated after giving the keynote address at the opening rally of the first Metropolitan Crusade of Mercy in Chicago. To the left of Debra is her father, Richard Adams, a driver for the Chicago Department of Sanitation and a member of Local 726. To her right is her mother, Mrs. Richard Adams.
Teamsters donated supplies to support the Selma-to-Montgomery civil rights march in 1965. In this photograph, 25 sleeping bags donated from Local 97 in Newark, N.J. are checked over by (left to right) Henry Garrad, Local 97 Secretary-Treasurer; Harry Wheeler, a Newark school teacher; and Local 97 President Joseph G. Biancardi.
Black history can be described as a complex honeycomb of events, actors and heroes that intertwine to form a rich history within the American tapestry. Often forgotten in this history, however, is the black worker—an afterthought to the civil rights struggle and fight for basic human rights. For instance, many are unaware that when Martin Luther King Jr. was killed in Memphis, Tennessee, he was there to support a garbage workers’ union strike. Looking back, this can be seen as a clear indication that workers’ rights are forever conjoined with human rights.
Two members of Local 210 in New York City are shown training gas appliance servicemen as part of a 20-week program under the Manpower Development and Training Act. Shown learning the ropes from Teamsters James Fennel and Miguel Martinez are Alcides Bloem and Willie Williams. April 1965
Members of the Joint Council 16 Executive Board and staff of Local 210 are on hand as Joe Konowe, Secretary-Treasurer of Local 210, presents a check to Dr. Wyatt Walker, regional director for the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. Third on the right is William Lewis, who was President of the local. The donation was a way to assist blacks fighting for civil rights in Selma, Alabama in 1965.
Teamsters Local 85 in San Francisco was among several labor unions to help ship more than 18,000 pounds of donated food to black Mississippians who were subjected to economic reprisals for registering to vote. In this photograph, well-wishers gather to send the truck off from the Republic Van and Storage Warehouse in Menlo Park. December 1963
Mrs. Marie Prior, a member of DRIVE from Chicago, poses with her granddaughter Vikki Prior in front of the White House after a tour. Mrs. Prior was one of 21 DRIVE essay winners who got to spend a week in Washington meeting with Congress in 1963.
Southern Conference delegate participates in a discussion for the union’s negotiations toward a 1964 national contract for over-the-road, local cartage and dock jurisdiction.
The Teamsters consistently supported the efforts of civil rights groups. Here Michael A. Andis (left), President of Local 945 in Clifton, N.J., announces the local union’s purchase of a lifetime membership in the area’s NAACP chapter. Receiving the check for life membership was Herbert Hill, labor secretary of the NAACP, and Arthur Holloway (right), President of the local NAACP unit. February 1963
Three rank-and-file organizing campaign leaders who were honored at Local 210 in New York for recruiting 350 new members. Shown from left to right are: Joseph Konowe, Secretary-Treasurer of Local 210; Marvin Hinton; John Williams; Local 210 President William C. Cohen and Paul Berrios. Hinton, Williams and Berrios were awarded prizes for their successful organizing work. July 1962
The Red Ball Express was one of World War II's most massive logistics operations, manned primarily by black soldiers. The trucks kept gasoline and other vital supplies rolling to the front as American troops pushed the Germans out of France and back toward Berlin.
Alexander Bentley, a member of Local 592 in Richmond, Va. and a shop steward at a transportation company, set a record of selling 51 memberships in DRIVE. July 1962
DRIVE was a way for Teamsters and their families to become involved in the political arena and support politicians who were labor friendly and pushed for civil rights legislation. Joseph Pittman, freight checker, is complimented by Jimmy Simpkins, right, on having subscribed to DRIVE for a life membership. May 1962
Black and white Teamsters maintained union solidarity both on and off the job. Here winners from the A & P Bakery pose with their trophies as champions of Local 377’s softball league. February 1961
Retiring Teamster Thomas Clark from Local 610 in St. Louis proudly displays Teamster pins from every year since 1915. With him are William Kniest (left) and Thomas Haynes. July 1957
Sam Baptist, trustee and business agent of Local 984 in Memphis, Tennessee, presents a check to David Norris, 13, who risked his life to save the life of a 10-year-old boy. R.A. Farrell, Local 984 President, looks on. Young Norris heard screams coming from a Memphis bayou where a boy had slipped and tumbled into 15 feet of water. Norris dived in and pulled the younger youth to the bank. June 1955
During the civil rights movement, Teamsters were active in supporting the efforts of blacks to win their rights as Americans. In addition to marching alongside them in marches and rallies, Teamsters played key roles in the movement in other ways as well.
In 1959, International Teamster magazine ran an article about Benjamin Lanier Turner, a black member of Teamsters Local 728 member in Atlanta. Turner’s story is significant for a couple reasons: First of all, it highlights how blacks were able to attain leadership positions in the Teamsters even in the segregated South. Additionally, the fact that the magazine devoted four full pages to featuring a black worker in the in the 1950s—before the civil rights movement really gained momentum—is itself noteworthy.
The Teamsters have a long history of speaking out against injustice, and in 1946 an editorial was written in the International Teamster condemning the Mississippi victory of Theodore Gilmore Bilbo to the U.S. Senate.
Dyke Bankston of Local 211, a driver for the Pittsburgh Courier, which was one of the country’s best known black newspapers and published in Pittsburgh. September 1953
This year marks 50 years since four brave students sat down on stools at a Woolworth’s counter and helped usher in an important chapter in the civil rights movement.
Sen. John McClellan went to great lengths to bring down the Teamsters and Teamsters President James R. Hoffa during the period of the McClellan Committee. He even tried to accuse the Teamsters of racial discrimination.
The contributions of black members to the success of the Teamsters Union are numerous, varied and as old as the union itself. Black team drivers attended the union’s first convention in 1903 and were active in all aspects of the union—including leadership—from the beginning. That commitment remains strong today.
Eula Cleveland was a longtime member of Local 730 in Washington, D.C. In 1952 Cleveland became the first elected Recording Secretary of Local 730 and held the post until her retirement in 1994.
Eula Mae Saunders (later Cleveland), Recording Secretary of Local 730, with General President Dave Beck during the first meeting of the Eastern Conference of Teamsters in Washington, D.C. November 1953
There is a wealth of information related to Black History Month online that is both interesting and informative. Take some time to check them out and encourage your kids to visit them too.
February marks Black History Month, a time to reflect upon and celebrate the contributions black Americans have made to society. As we thank great leaders like Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King Jr. and President Barack Obama for their contributions to our world, we cannot help but see that black history is Teamster history.
Lucille Goodman Johnson, a shop steward for Local 832 in New York City, graduated from the labor and liberal arts program of the New York State School of Industrial and Labor Relations at Cornell University. The 1970 class was the first of its kind for the two-year program.
Teamster drivers demonstrated their skills behind the wheel in “roadeo” competitions. John Daigle, a member of Local 968 in Houston, won trophies in 1970 for placing first in the regional four-axle class and first in the Texas finals. He also competed in the National Truck Roadeo in Miami that year.
Will Kellogg was a business agent and organizer for Local 406 in Grand Rapids, Mich. He was honored at a dinner for his efforts in organizing and coaching the Grand Rapids Chiefs professional football team. He is pictured here with his wife, Jessie, who was also a member of Local 406. March 1970
Teamster scholarships helped the children of Teamsters to go to college. Debra Caywood and Eddie Weaver Jr. received Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Scholarships from Local 743 in Chicago. October 1969
After a long career as a Teamster truck driver, Revery Garet was selected to join the staff of Local 107 as a business agent. Here he takes the oath of office from Local 107 President Jack Cassidy. August 1969
Teamster Sidney Christian believes that an important aspect of celebrating Black History Month is to broaden our view to include the struggles that blacks have dealt with in other areas of the world. Christian is a member of Local 804 in New York, and has worked for United Parcel Service for 27 years.
Daryl Boyd, a member of Local 813 in New York, believes that while it is good to know about black history, it is just as important to know about labor history.
Pan Am-Braniff workers celebrated a Supreme Court decision which cleared the way for an election by holding high a “Vote Teamster” sign. November 1968
In one of the last photos of Martin Luther King Jr., Local 522 officers in Jamaica, N.Y. present him with a check to assist with the Poor Peoples’ Campaign. Handing the check to King are Stephen Kingston Jr. and Alfred S. Reger, President and Secretary-Treasurer of Local 522. 1968
Teamsters Thomas Troupe and William Bonnema of Local 725 in Chicago were given awards of appreciation from the Chicago Police Department for pursuing and capturing a gas station bandit. Along with Troupe and Bonnema during the ceremony were Troupe’s wife and Police Superintendent James B. Conlisk who presented the awards. January 1968
Clara Day, who served as an assistant business representative for Local 743, was appointed to serve on the Chicago Commission on Human Relations. Day is shown taking the oath with another commissioner from Mayor Richard Daley in 1967.
Many Teamsters were also dedicated professional athletes. In 1967, two Teamsters boxed for the state heavyweight championship in Sacramento, Calif. After battling for 12 rounds, Henry Clark of Local 860 in San Francisco won the title from Bill McMurray of Local 150 in Sacramento.
Teamster DRIVE members demonstrated the ideals of solidarity as black and white volunteers worked side by side to lobby Congress for the union. Delegates of the Michigan Motorcade arrive in Washington, D.C. in 1965.
The following 
This is the organizing team that successfully brought into the union 1,044 truck drivers and equipment operators employed by the city of Detroit. From left to right are: John Clinton, Ernest Crawford, Alex Kwiciewski, James Harris, Joe Valenti, Ken Silvers, Aron McIntosh, Mike Jarvis and Thad Dennis. April 1967
Teamster contracts allowed many blacks to move into the middle class and realize the American dream. Herb Bailey (left), Secretary-Treasurer of Local 775 in Denver, congratulates Ferris Cassius, a longtime member of the union who opened his own business after 14 years as a driver for Yellow Cab Company. Rudy Cook (right), business representative for Local 775, points to the address of the new Cassius’ City Park Sundries. May 1966
Teamsters have a long history of heroism on the job. Teamster Ernest S. McBride was honored by the city of Long Beach, Calif. for saving three children from an apartment fire in 1966. McBride, a member of Local 88, ran into the apartment and gathered the children when he heard screams while working at the apartment complex. McBride earned a good-citizen commendation from the city for his efforts.
Children of Teamsters were often leaders in their communities. In November 1965, Debra Adams (center) is congratulated after giving the keynote address at the opening rally of the first Metropolitan Crusade of Mercy in Chicago. To the left of Debra is her father, Richard Adams, a driver for the Chicago Department of Sanitation and a member of Local 726. To her right is her mother, Mrs. Richard Adams.
Teamsters donated supplies to support the Selma-to-Montgomery civil rights march in 1965. In this photograph, 25 sleeping bags donated from Local 97 in Newark, N.J. are checked over by (left to right) Henry Garrad, Local 97 Secretary-Treasurer; Harry Wheeler, a Newark school teacher; and Local 97 President Joseph G. Biancardi.
Black history can be described as a complex honeycomb of events, actors and heroes that intertwine to form a rich history within the American tapestry. Often forgotten in this history, however, is the black worker—an afterthought to the civil rights struggle and fight for basic human rights. For instance, many are unaware that when Martin Luther King Jr. was killed in Memphis, Tennessee, he was there to support a garbage workers’ union strike. Looking back, this can be seen as a clear indication that workers’ rights are forever conjoined with human rights.
Two members of Local 210 in New York City are shown training gas appliance servicemen as part of a 20-week program under the Manpower Development and Training Act. Shown learning the ropes from Teamsters James Fennel and Miguel Martinez are Alcides Bloem and Willie Williams. April 1965
Members of the Joint Council 16 Executive Board and staff of Local 210 are on hand as Joe Konowe, Secretary-Treasurer of Local 210, presents a check to Dr. Wyatt Walker, regional director for the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. Third on the right is William Lewis, who was President of the local. The donation was a way to assist blacks fighting for civil rights in Selma, Alabama in 1965.
Teamsters Local 85 in San Francisco was among several labor unions to help ship more than 18,000 pounds of donated food to black Mississippians who were subjected to economic reprisals for registering to vote. In this photograph, well-wishers gather to send the truck off from the Republic Van and Storage Warehouse in Menlo Park. December 1963
Mrs. Marie Prior, a member of DRIVE from Chicago, poses with her granddaughter Vikki Prior in front of the White House after a tour. Mrs. Prior was one of 21 DRIVE essay winners who got to spend a week in Washington meeting with Congress in 1963.
Southern Conference delegate participates in a discussion for the union’s negotiations toward a 1964 national contract for over-the-road, local cartage and dock jurisdiction.
The Teamsters consistently supported the efforts of civil rights groups. Here Michael A. Andis (left), President of Local 945 in Clifton, N.J., announces the local union’s purchase of a lifetime membership in the area’s NAACP chapter. Receiving the check for life membership was Herbert Hill, labor secretary of the NAACP, and Arthur Holloway (right), President of the local NAACP unit. February 1963
Three rank-and-file organizing campaign leaders who were honored at Local 210 in New York for recruiting 350 new members. Shown from left to right are: Joseph Konowe, Secretary-Treasurer of Local 210; Marvin Hinton; John Williams; Local 210 President William C. Cohen and Paul Berrios. Hinton, Williams and Berrios were awarded prizes for their successful organizing work. July 1962
The Red Ball Express was one of World War II's most massive logistics operations, manned primarily by black soldiers. The trucks kept gasoline and other vital supplies rolling to the front as American troops pushed the Germans out of France and back toward Berlin.
Alexander Bentley, a member of Local 592 in Richmond, Va. and a shop steward at a transportation company, set a record of selling 51 memberships in DRIVE. July 1962
DRIVE was a way for Teamsters and their families to become involved in the political arena and support politicians who were labor friendly and pushed for civil rights legislation. Joseph Pittman, freight checker, is complimented by Jimmy Simpkins, right, on having subscribed to DRIVE for a life membership. May 1962
Black and white Teamsters maintained union solidarity both on and off the job. Here winners from the A & P Bakery pose with their trophies as champions of Local 377’s softball league. February 1961
Teamster dock workers talk to Local 299 agents at the port of Detroit. July 1960
Retiring Teamster Thomas Clark from Local 610 in St. Louis proudly displays Teamster pins from every year since 1915. With him are William Kniest (left) and Thomas Haynes. July 1957
Sam Baptist, trustee and business agent of Local 984 in Memphis, Tennessee, presents a check to David Norris, 13, who risked his life to save the life of a 10-year-old boy. R.A. Farrell, Local 984 President, looks on. Young Norris heard screams coming from a Memphis bayou where a boy had slipped and tumbled into 15 feet of water. Norris dived in and pulled the younger youth to the bank. June 1955
During the civil rights movement, Teamsters were active in supporting the efforts of blacks to win their rights as Americans. In addition to marching alongside them in marches and rallies, Teamsters played key roles in the movement in other ways as well.
In 1959, International Teamster magazine ran an article about Benjamin Lanier Turner, a black member of Teamsters Local 728 member in 
General President Dave Beck meets with black delegates from the 10 Southern states while on a visit to the Southern Conference of Teamsters. July 1954
Warehouseman John Adams of Local 117 worked for Seattle Iron and Metals Company. January 1954
The Teamsters have a long history of speaking out against injustice, and in 1946 an editorial was written in the International Teamster condemning the Mississippi victory of Theodore Gilmore Bilbo to the U.S. Senate.
Local 609 driver Allen Miller talks with Norman Kegel, a representative of Joint Council 40 in Pittsburgh. September 1953
Dyke Bankston of Local 211, a driver for the Pittsburgh Courier, which was one of the country’s best known black newspapers and published in 
This year marks 50 years since four brave students sat down on stools at a Woolworth’s counter and helped usher in an important chapter in the civil rights movement.
“Teamsters Marched to Washington” page from the August 1963 International Teamster magazine.
Sen. John McClellan went to great lengths to bring down the Teamsters and Teamsters President James R. Hoffa during the period of the McClellan Committee. He even tried to accuse the Teamsters of racial discrimination.
Eula Mae Saunders (later Cleveland), Recording Secretary of Local 730, with General President Dave Beck during the first meeting of the Eastern Conference of Teamsters in Washington, D.C. November 1953