Ronnie Rowe Jr. as Zeke and Amr Ameen as Junior, along with additional cast members of “The Porter.” (Photo: Shauna Townley)
“The Porter,” which premieres Thursday on U.S. public television’s GBX 44, is an eight-episode historical drama about America’s first black labor union.
Pullman porters worked on transcontinental railroads between the United States and Canada after World War I, handling passengers’ baggage, guiding them to their seats or compartments, and delivering meals. They were one of the few opportunities for stable, well-paying work for black men during the era of racial segregation.
Anne-Marie Murray, the series’ writer and showrunner, was asked why now was a good time to examine this history.
“It’s always a good time to have a holistic discussion about historical truth and expose parts of history that have been edited,” she said. “There’s never a bad time to do that.”
Especially today, she noted, “there is a willingness outside of the community to hear these stories and share them with the world, because the world is constantly changing and in a constant state of awareness and reflection of its history and the gaps in our history.”
“So now is the time for us to look at that political landscape and fight for equality on every level: racial equality, gender equality. It’s a story of overcoming and it’s always going to be an important story in our lives as long as there’s oppression and struggle. It’s always going to be an important story.”
“Porter” is not a documentary, it’s fiction. “But we always try to preserve the integrity of the series, which is based on historical fact. I like to say it’s based on 1,000 true stories. We’ve tried to stay as true as we can to the integrity of the industry.”
“They also have very creative imaginations,” she added.
“The Porters” follows two black men on opposite paths: one who works to get porters to form a political union and win basic rights and wages, and the other a bootlegger.
“Early in development, we said this series was an unashamed story of black ambition. The question we posed to both characters was: what is the path to success?
“If you ask 100 people on the street the same question, you’ll get 100 different answers. They are two brothers bound together by World War I, two brothers bound together by the trauma they experienced as black men in the world.”
“Some people may say, ‘The rules don’t work for us, so why should we follow them? How can we change that?'”
“I always ask myself: Why are they right? And why are they wrong? That’s what’s important to explore as you go down that path.”
“The Porter” will air on GBX44 on July 11th.
