The A. Philip Randolph awards were distributed on April 15, 2016, at the Bruce R. Watkins Cultural Heritage Center and Museum in Kansas City. In the 1920s and 1930s, Randolph helped organize America’s porters and maids working on the Pullman railroad cars and created the first African-American-led labor union. Many Pullman maids and wives, daughters, and sisters of Pullman porters were members of the Ladies Auxiliary which shaped “public debates over black manhood and unionization, setting political agendas for the black community, and crafting effective strategies to win racial and economic justice.”

Unlikely allies in 1950s Kansas, modernize college sports, & parallel the Civil Rights movement that would transform an entire nation.

This is a local story with deeply significant undertones. Among its many storylines is how the actions of a few made all the difference in the lives of others. University of Kansas Chancellor Franklin Murphy, Coach F.C. “Phog” Allen, Kansas City Call general manager Dowdal Davis and others used Chamberlain’s presence in Lawrence to push race relations a little closer to equality. Chamberlain (deftly played by KU basketball player Justin Wesley) instituted change by being present and a star player.

In a voice that seemed like a cry to the heavens, an older African-American friend asked: “What advanced age does a black man have to reach to receive nondiscriminatory treatment?”