04/04/2024
UNION PACIFIC RAILROAD'S FIRST BLACK WOMAN TRAIN ENGINEER
Edwina Justus (July 11, 1943) is a African-American trailblazer engineer who is best known for being Union Pacific's first black female train engineer.
At a young age, Edwina's role as a change-maker began when she became the first African-American girl to attend Brown Park School, and she was the only person of color in the entire school.
In search of better opportunities, Edwina applied for a job at Union Pacific. After her application was denied, she enrolled at the University of Nebraska at Omaha.
When she applied at Union Pacific for the second time, her application was a success. Justus began her career at U.P. in 1973 as a clerk at one of its Omaha facilities. Edwina Justus was one of five black women who worked in the Omaha office.
In 1976 she applied for an engineer opening in North Platte, Neb. She got the job and became UP’s first black female engineer at the age of 34. North Platte was a big operation. Union Pacific is the largest railroad in the United States. “When I received the offer in North Platte, Nebraska, my dad encouraged me to take it.”
However, the work environment wasn't supportive. Edwina endured racial slurs and the belief that she couldn't do good work as a woman. But she was not deterred. She used her wit and performance to excel in her career.
Justus worked 22 years before retiring in 1998. She hauled items such as livestock, automobiles and airplane wings to Cheyenne, Wyoming, and Denver, Colorado, never taking for granted the beauty of a sunset or quiet night.
“Railroading isn’t easy, but I didn’t let anyone bully me and I always stood up for myself,” Justus said.
In 2018, Justus was honored in a Durham Museum exhibit. The exhibit shares the diverse experiences of 12 Nebraska women through time.
