E. Donald Hughes II (a Second-Generation Pullman Porter and card-carrying member of the BSCP)

I was born the second son of Edward D. and Inell S. Hughes in West Palm Beach, Fla. My father was a Pullman Porter for the Pullman Company and a member of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters. My mother was a Registered Nurse. Although only one parent was college-educated, both were gifted communicators. I grew up in Howard County, Md. (what is present Columbia, Md.) and attended the University of Maryland, where I studied Business Mgt. and Transportation. My family did not have the means to pay for my college education beyond my freshman year. Still, fortunately for me, my father managed to get me a job as an extra board at Pullman Porter. At that time, I became a card-carrying member of our nation’s first African American union, working on our nation’s only remaining independently owned and operated passenger train in the country, Southern Railways Southern Crescent. Because of the unique arrangement with my supervisor, I maintained my full-time student status at U of Maryland. My dad worked on one of Southern Railways' posh office cars belonging to the Vice President of Marketing, and my older brother had been hired as a waiter in the dining car. The Hughes family had several key service positions covered relative to onboard services. 

I am the founder and principal of Real Talk Communications. We provide on-air talent, voice-over services, entertainment, and a growing professional speaking/motivational business. I am committed to raising awareness of the life, legacy, and contributions of A. Philip Randolph and the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters.  I currently reside in Northern Virginia.