Our latest mural celebrates Black History Month and proudly features The National A. Philip Randolph Pullman Porter Museum (NAPRPPM), an organization dedicated to promoting and honoring labor history made here in Chicago and spread Nationally.

Located on a quiet corner at the north end of the Pullman National Historic Park, in the Pullman Historic District. The NAPRPPM is the first and only museum in the country dedicated exclusively to African American labor history. Founded 28 years ago in February of 1995 by Dr. Lyn Hughes and officially designated a 501(c)(3) cultural institution in 2000, the museum’s exhibits chronicle the formation of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters (BSCP), the first Black labor union in the United States chartered under the American Federation of Labor.

The museum’s mission is to provide educational and cultural enrichment for all humanity. All past, present, and future museum activities aim to facilitate study through the preservation, multimedia programming interpretation, and enjoyment of African-American history and culture.

Visitors to the museum learn about the unifying historical journey of the BSCP. These activities culminated in a victory that made them the first Black labor union in the United States to sign a collective bargaining agreement with a major corporation, the powerful Pullman Rail Car Company. Their victory was one for labor movements not just in Chicago or Black communities but throughout the United States, as well as a contributing part of the Civil Rights movement.

The mural depicts the unity in the African American community that undertook this movement and inspired the creation of the first Black labor union in the United States. Ordinary, working-class African Americans who made history doing something positive. It also features the quote, “Celebrating African Americans in U.S. Labor History,” with a depiction of A. Philip Randolph, the chief organizer and co-founder of the BSCP, above the mural.

Wintrust is honored to be a community partner to NAPRPPM and was proud to be the presenting sponsor for the museum’s annual Gentle Warrior Awards “Gala Cocktail Reception” in 2022, which was also held at Hyde Park Bank, a Wintrust Community Bank.

The museum is expanding as it seeks to promote its historical message and the community where it is based. The expansion project is designed to transform the area in both physical appearance, the functionality of the community, and the lives of community members, which organizers term a “Community Economic Development Empowerment Project.” The most exciting part of this project is the proposed creation of “Randolph’s Way,” a multi-phase development of a cultural, tourism, and hospitality district, phase one of which is museum expansion.

The museum is typically open to the public seasonally from April to December and by appointment in the winter, but will be closed to visitors during construction.

To learn more about the National A. Philip Randolph Pullman Porter Museum and how you can contribute to its mission, please visit them online.