10,000 Black Men Named George (2002) Plot Summary Explained

Release, runtime and language

2002 · 90 mins · English

Directed by

Robert Townsend

Starring

Amanda Brugel, Lyriq Bent, Mario Van Peebles, Andre Braugher, Charles S. Dutton, Brock Peters

Set in the 1920s, the film explores how American workers’ right to organize was still unsettled while African‑Americans faced continual denial of civil and economic freedoms. Its title, 10,000 Black Men Named George, references the demeaning practice of white passengers calling Pullman porters “George,” a widespread racial slur of the era.