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| 1 | +--- |
| 2 | +layout: post |
| 3 | +title: "US-RSE Celebrates Black History Month" |
| 4 | +tags: [dei, black-history] |
| 5 | +author: Cordero Core |
| 6 | +date: 2025-01-31 |
| 7 | +--- |
| 8 | + |
| 9 | +[*Originally post on |
| 10 | +Medium*](https://medium.com/@cdcore/a-philip-randolph-the-brotherhood-of-sleeping-car-porters-and-the-invisible-labor-of-research-6546aa5716fb) |
| 11 | + |
| 12 | +{: width="400" } |
| 14 | + |
| 15 | +### A. Philip Randolph, The Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters, and the Invisible Labor of Research Software Engineers |
| 16 | + |
| 17 | +In 1925, A. Philip Randolph took on a challenge that many deemed |
| 18 | +impossible - organizing Black railroad porters into a union that would demand |
| 19 | +fair wages, humane working conditions, and respect. The Brotherhood of Sleeping |
| 20 | +Car Porters and Maids became the first Black-led union to receive a charter |
| 21 | +from the American Federation of Labor, marking a pivotal moment in American |
| 22 | +labor history. Randolph understood something profound: labor, especially Black |
| 23 | +labor, was often unseen, undervalued, and dismissed. But through organization |
| 24 | +and collective action, the invisible could be made visible. |
| 25 | + |
| 26 | +Nearly a century later, a different kind of labor remains invisible - the work |
| 27 | +of research software engineers (RSEs). They build the code that powers modern |
| 28 | +scientific discovery, yet many find themselves in an ambiguous space within |
| 29 | +academia and research institutions. Their contributions are fundamental, but |
| 30 | +their labor often goes unrecognized in publications, funding structures, and |
| 31 | +career pathways. This is not a coincidence. It is part of a larger historical |
| 32 | +pattern. |
| 33 | + |
| 34 | +--- |
| 35 | + |
| 36 | +### The Unseen Hands that Move the World |
| 37 | + |
| 38 | +The sleeping car porters were integral to the expansion of American rail |
| 39 | +travel. They worked long hours under harsh conditions, often relying on tips |
| 40 | +rather than wages. They were expected to be invisible - to perform their work |
| 41 | +without complaint, to make passengers comfortable, and to disappear into the |
| 42 | +background. But their impact on American society was immense. |
| 43 | + |
| 44 | +Research software engineers may not work on railroads, but their labor carries |
| 45 | +a similar paradox. They enable science to move forward - writing software that |
| 46 | +models climate change, processes astronomical data, and deciphers genetic |
| 47 | +codes. Yet, the very institutions that benefit from their labor often fail to |
| 48 | +formally recognize them. Many RSEs are classified as temporary workers, |
| 49 | +postdocs, or "other support staff," despite their indispensable role in |
| 50 | +research. |
| 51 | + |
| 52 | +Randolph understood that change would not come from individual effort |
| 53 | +alone - it required collective organization. The Brotherhood of Sleeping Car |
| 54 | +Porters became a vehicle for economic mobility, civil rights, and structural |
| 55 | +change. Today, the US Research Software Engineer (US-RSE) community is doing |
| 56 | +similar work, advocating for the formal recognition of RSEs in academia and |
| 57 | +pushing for career paths that respect the reality of their contributions. |
| 58 | + |
| 59 | +--- |
| 60 | + |
| 61 | +### The Power of Naming and Recognition |
| 62 | + |
| 63 | +One of Randolph's greatest victories was securing the term "Brotherhood" in the |
| 64 | +name of the union. To be recognized as part of an organized workforce rather |
| 65 | +than just "servants" was revolutionary. Naming something - calling it what it |
| 66 | +is - is an act of power. |
| 67 | + |
| 68 | +![Railroad workers]({{ site.baseurl }}/assets/img/bhm-2025-randolph-2.png |
| 69 | +"Photo of two rows of railroad workers") |
| 70 | + |
| 71 | +In research, the term Research Software Engineer did not exist in widespread |
| 72 | +use until the past decade. Before that, individuals who wrote software for |
| 73 | +research were often called "computational scientists," "programmers," or simply |
| 74 | +"support staff." The adoption of RSE as a professional title mirrors the |
| 75 | +struggle of the porters: to be named is to be seen. To be seen is to demand |
| 76 | +recognition. |
| 77 | + |
| 78 | +For many RSEs, their work is not just a technical function - it is a form of |
| 79 | +advocacy. They fight for open-source software, for better funding models, for |
| 80 | +institutional recognition. Just as the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters laid |
| 81 | +the groundwork for Black labor organizing, today's RSEs are building the |
| 82 | +foundation for future generations of software engineers in research. |
| 83 | + |
| 84 | +--- |
| 85 | + |
| 86 | +### Labor is Political |
| 87 | + |
| 88 | +Randolph understood that labor and civil rights were inseparable. He was not |
| 89 | +just organizing workers - he was challenging the racial and economic systems |
| 90 | +that shaped their exploitation. His work directly contributed to the broader |
| 91 | +Black freedom struggle, including the 1963 March on Washington, which he |
| 92 | +co-organized. |
| 93 | + |
| 94 | +The fight for recognition in research may seem different, but it is no less |
| 95 | +political. It is about who gets to claim credit for discovery, who receives |
| 96 | +funding, and who has the stability to build long-term careers in science. Many |
| 97 | +RSEs, particularly those from underrepresented backgrounds, face additional |
| 98 | +barriers in these spaces. Their work is essential, yet they often find |
| 99 | +themselves excluded from the power structures that shape research priorities. |
| 100 | + |
| 101 | +Randolph did not accept invisibility as fate. Neither should research software |
| 102 | +engineers. |
| 103 | + |
| 104 | +--- |
| 105 | + |
| 106 | +### The Path Forward |
| 107 | + |
| 108 | +As we mark the 100th anniversary of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters and |
| 109 | +Maids, it is worth reflecting on what labor advocacy means today. RSEs, like |
| 110 | +the porters before them, are shaping the future through unseen, undervalued |
| 111 | +labor. Their work is critical, their contributions are real, and their fight |
| 112 | +for recognition is just beginning. |
| 113 | + |
| 114 | + |
| 117 | + |
| 118 | +Randolph believed in the power of organizing, in the necessity of solidarity. |
| 119 | +The US-RSE community stands as a modern parallel - advocating for fair labor |
| 120 | +practices, recognition, and inclusion. The lesson from history is clear: no |
| 121 | +labor is truly invisible unless we allow it to be. |
| 122 | + |
| 123 | +If research software engineers continue to build, organize, and demand |
| 124 | +recognition, they - like Randolph and the Brotherhood - will shape a future |
| 125 | +where their labor is seen, valued, and honored. |
| 126 | + |
| 127 | +--- |
| 128 | + |
| 129 | +Stay tuned, share your thoughts, and be part of the conversation. How has |
| 130 | +invisible labor shaped your field? Let's make history visible - together. |
| 131 | + |
| 132 | +Join us on Slack in the |
| 133 | +[`#dei-discussion`](https://usrse.slack.com/archives/C01C8CJQ7AP) channel. |
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