A celebration and fundraiser for the San Luis Obispo County branch of the NAACP harks back to two eras separated by some 50 years.
“From Pullman Car to Soul Train,” taking place at the SLO Railroad Museum in San Luis Obispo on September 26 beginning at 5 p.m., features themes from both the Pullman elegance of the 1920s and Motown vibes from the 1970s.
Tickets are $75 and partygoers can expect great food, wine for purchase, games, retro costume awards for best dressed (’20s-’30s formal travel wear or ’70s funk flair), and a live DJ playing classic Motown, Funk, and Soul, along with an energetic Soul Train dance line.
Guided access to museum exhibits—including historic rail rolling stock—will be available as well.
Moving from Pullman to Soul Train traces Black American history from early 20th-century labor organizing and civil rights struggles through the late-20th-century explosion of Black artistic self-expression and cultural mainstreaming.
The event also recognizes the 100th birthday of the Cuesta Pullman Dining Car and the 101st anniversary of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters and Maids.
“When I think about the legacy of the Pullman porters and maids, I think about courage, dignity, and determination,” chapter president Barry Stokes said. “Their work helped open doors for generations that followed, and their story reminds us that progress is built by ordinary people who choose to stand tall, organize, and keep moving forward.”