Produce and Waterfront in Oakland in Alameda County, California — The American West (Pacific Coastal)

C. L. Dellums

January 3, 1900 – December 6, 1989

Photographed by Barry Swackhamer, January 9, 2014

1. C. L. Dellums Marker

Inscription. I am the Master of my fate / I am the Captain of my soul

Sculptor: Carol Tarzier

Funded by Federal Transportation Enhancement Activities Grant
Commissioned by City of Oakland Public Works Agency

encircling the base

1923 - Arrives in Oakland
1925 - Organizes Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters on the West Coast
1929 - Vice President of Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters until 1958
1941 - Begins Battle for Fair Employment Practices
1948 - Chairman of the West Coast NAACP
1959 - Serves as Fair Employment Practices Commission until 1986

Erected by City of Oakland Public Works Agency.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Labor Unions. A significant historical year for this entry is 1923.

Location. 37° 47.635′ N, 122° 16.307′ W. Marker is in Oakland, California, in Alameda County. It is in Produce and Waterfront. It is on Second Street near Alice Street. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 245 Second Street, Oakland CA 94607, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in California’s San Francisco

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Bay Area

and on the Coast Ranges.

It is also on the American Pacific Coast.

Globally, it is in North America,

on the Ring of Fire,

in the Pacific Rim,

in the Western Hemisphere,

in the Western World,

and in the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain

and also Mexico’s Alta California.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: S&W Fine Foods Warehouse (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); Prime Smoked Meats (about 400 feet away); Waterfront Warehouse District (about 500 feet away); a different marker also named Waterfront Warehouse District (about 500 feet away); W.P. Fuller and Co. Warehouse (about 500 feet away); Western Pacific Freight Depot (about 600 feet away); Poultry Producers of Central California Distribution Center (about 600 feet away); Autocar Sales & Service Co. (about 700 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Oakland.

Other markers no longer nearby. Oakland Rails (was a few steps from this marker but has been permanently removed); Davis-Parker Whse. (was about 400 feet away but has been permanently

C. L. Dellums image. Click for full size.

via Black Past, 1968

2. C. L. Dellums

removed); W.P. Fuller & Co. (was about 500 feet away but has been permanently removed); American Bag Co. (was about 500 feet away but has been permanently removed); Poultry Producers (was about 600 feet away but has been permanently removed); Western Pacific RR (was about 600 feet away but has been permanently removed); Western States (was about 700 feet away but has been permanently removed).

More about this marker. This marker is located in the plaza in front of the Dellums Amtrak Station.

Also see . . . C.L. Dellums, C.L. (1900-1989). Black Past website entry:
The low pay and poor working conditions prompted Dellums to join the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters, then being organized by A. Philip Randolph. Upon hearing of his joining the union, he was fired by the Pullman Company. The Brotherhood then hired Dellums to work full time as a union organizer. (Submitted on January 18, 2014, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California.)

Photographed by Barry Swackhamer, January 9, 2014

3. C. L. Dellums

C. L. Dellums Plaque image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Barry Swackhamer, January 9, 2014

4. C. L. Dellums Plaque

This plaque is located in the lobby of the Delllums Amtrak Station

C. L. Dellums
1900 – 1980
Dellums, a porter fired by the Pullman Company in 1927 for his organizing activities, co-founded the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters in 1937, the first labor union established and led by African Americans. He worked to assure defense jobs for minorities during World War II, and led the NAACP for the West Coast Region as its founding president.

Lobby of the C. L. Dellums Amtrak Station image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Barry Swackhamer, January 9, 2014

5. Lobby of the C. L. Dellums Amtrak Station

Boulder with a Missing Plaque image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Barry Swackhamer, January 9, 2014

6. Boulder with a Missing Plaque

located near the Dellums Amtrak Station.

Credits. This page was last revised on December 2, 2025. It was originally submitted on January 18, 2014, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California. This page has been viewed 1,439 times since then and 58 times this year. Photos: 1. submitted on January 18, 2014, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California. 2. submitted on December 2, 2025, by Larry Gertner of New York, New York. 3, 4, 5, 6. submitted on January 18, 2014, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.