E-mail a friendJuly 28, 2008
Bertie Bowman, the longest-serving African American on the U.S. Capitol Hill staff, reflects on how he was able to keep friendships with senators who were staunch segregation proponents.
Bertie Bowman
Bertie Bowman
Former Senate aide talks about arriving at DC's Union Station at age 13 after running away from his parents' South Carolina home. (9:53)
Full Interview (25:14)
Bertie Bowman rose from farmer's son in the Jim Crow South to entrepreneur, with a stop in between as the longest serving African American on the U.S. Capitol Hill staff. Starting in what was essentially a janitorial position, he went on to work for the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, first as clerk and retiring as hearing coordinator. Bowman is now president of his own company and a Senate Federal Credit Union board member. The South Carolina native writes about his journey in his autobiography, Step by Step.
