NAACP is founded

The organization works to expand economic opportunity for Black Americans; it later develops employer-facing workforce programs.

A. Philip Randolph organizes Black railroad porters into a union, building worker power against low wages and racial exclusion.

The Act establishes workers’ rights to organize and bargain collectively, creating a channel for workplace voice and negotiated standards.

A. Philip Randolph’s threatened march helps secure a federal order prohibiting discrimination in defense employment and creating a Fair Employment Practices Committee.

Although focused on the military, the order helps establish federal equal-treatment expectations that influence public and private employment debates.