At a time when simply traveling around the United States often put black people in physical danger, The Negro Autoist Green Book was an indispensable guide to safe places.
Published by Victor Hugo Green annually from 1936 to 1966, the green book helped black travelers in the Jim Crow era find hotels, restaurants, gas stations, and other businesses to serve them.
The Oscar-winning film “Green Book” renewed interest in the publication, which was discontinued after major civil rights laws were passed in the 1960s. Today, a new generation of writers is shedding light on the legacy with new books and a podcast, decades after Green’s annual guide ceased publication.
“The Green Book enabled African Americans to travel with dignity and find safe haven at a time in US history when the vast majority of white-owned businesses, even in large urban areas, are not welcoming, even hostile, black customers Alvin Hall, host of the Macmillan podcast series Driving the Green Book, told the Book started in September.
Facilities in the book, most of them owned by Black, “not only welcomed their dollars, but they were warmly welcomed as people, an experience that could be difficult to find in times of segregation,” Hall said.
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Martinique Lewis, President of the Black Travel Alliance, told USA TODAY that after learning the Green Book, she was inspired to create her own modern version. your “ABC Travel Greenbook: Connecting the African Diaspora Globally” which, among other things, catalogs black-owned and black-focused experiences such as tours, including international travel.
“I was like, ‘Oh my god, why haven’t I heard of this book?’ … I’m like the black travel guru, ”said Lewis, noting that she had bought every copy of the original Green Books she could find.
Like its predecessor, the Lewis book is more than just a directory of companies.
“I’m going to put paragraphs and let you know, ‘There have been so many cases of discrimination (in a certain place) that we know, be vigilant and aware,” Lewis explained.
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Hide captionIn this June 24, 2016 photo, the closed De Anza Motor Lodge is located along Route 66 in Albuquerque, Nex Mexico, and was recently highlighted …
In this June 24, 2016 photo, the gated De Anza Motor Lodge is located on Route 66 in Albuquerque, Nex Mexico, and was recently highlighted as one of the few places black travelers could stay overnight during separate periods.Russell Contreras, AP
Lewis also includes personal experiences. For example, she lists one where she walked down the street and was called “a monkey”. She wants readers to know what might happen in certain places.
“I always tell people to do your research before you go. For one thing, not everyone is racist, people in these places have often never seen black people, ”she said. She referred to an experience she had in Latvia in 2019. “People ask to take pictures, people ask to touch your hair.”
Lewis is also working on an app that will contain reviews. Something like “Yelp, TripAdvisor and Facebook will be merged into one,” she said.
Lewis’ book serves all travelers – including those who serve as allies and wish to support black-owned businesses. “There are so many different ways we can all become more inclusive.”
Candacy Taylor spent weeks photographing and researching “Green Book” sites for “Overground Railway”, published a book tracing the roots of black travel last year.
“The Green Book made travel more comfortable because blacks didn’t have to worry about being turned away and humiliated by white business owners,” said Taylor.
When Taylor was out doing research, sometimes working up to 15 hours a day, and exploring up to 30 locations, her stepfather Ron became worried about her.
“We talked a lot when I was driving in the car and I had to check with him every day,” she said. “[He] taught me how to use a stun gun and knife. … He was always concerned about my safety and should have been. “
While things have changed since the Jim Crow era, when the ‘Green Book’ was so indispensable, the possibility of violent encounter still gives black drivers a reason to be careful on the road, said Maira Liriano, the deputy Chief Librarian of the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, a division of the New York Public Library. The center has an extensive collection of “Green Book” editions.
“When you think about how many murders have happened recently with black drivers – so many of the police shootings have been linked to black drivers – I think you are starting to connect the dots, and I think it really is important to understand the story, “said Liriano.
The text of the original “Green Book” remained largely positive, with darker undertones related to road safety, Liriano said.
“Victor has been very optimistic about written communications in the Green Books,” she said. “He never acknowledged the racial violence and discrimination that led to the creation of his leader. The tone was very factual, but in a subtle way it expressed why the Führer was so important. “
In this January 31, 2019 photo, Charles Becknell, Sr., 77, holds a 1954 copy of The Negro Motorist Green Book at his home in Rio Rancho, New Mexico.Russell Contreras, AP
While the new efforts pay tribute to Green’s original vision, they also serve as a reminder that the books’ original mission is still a work in progress. Liriano read from the last paragraph of the introduction to the original Green Paper from 1948 to 1951:
“At some point there will be a day when this guide does not need to be published. Then we will have equal opportunities and privileges as a breed in the United States. It will be a great day for us to take this off.” Publication, because then we can go where we want without embarrassment. “
The publication of Green’s annual guide ended in 1966. There was no need for it.
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Published on February 18, 2021 at 23:46 UTC
Updated February 19, 2021 at 1:26 p.m. UTC
