For Immediate Release: July 15, 2009

Pullman Porters Subject of New Play by Judith Offer

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( Oakland, CA)—To be a member of the Brotherhood of the Sleeping Car Porters was once considered a radical, if not terrorist, activity, in the early part of the twentieth century. East Bay writer Judith Offer’s play-in-progress, Compared to What?, sets up the dilemma of two Pullman Porters during 1926 in West Oakland, who are in conflict about the decision to join the organization—and perhaps risk being fired.

A free reading of this dramatic play featuring professional actors, Conrad Cady and Damon Williams, will take place on Saturday, August 15, from 2:00-4:00 p.m. in the Oakland Main Library’s West Auditorium, 125 14 th Street (at Madison). Members of the audience are invited to join in a discussion after the reading.

This event is being co-sponsored by the Oakland Public Library and LaborFest 2009. LaborFest 2009 will also provide a San Francisco venue for another reading of Offer’s play in celebration of the 75 th anniversary of the 1934 General Strike.

For more information, please call (510) 238-3134 or visit the Oakland Public Library’s Website at www.oaklandlibrary.org. Please refrain from wearing scented products to library events. To request sign interpretation, or other accommodation, call the number above at least five working days prior to the event. The Oakland Public Library is a department of the City of Oakland.

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