The Negro Motorist Green Book
The Negro Motorist Green Book was a vital guide published from 1936 to 1966 that assisted African American travelers in navigating a landscape marked by racial segregation and discrimination in the United States. Created by Victor Hugo Green, a postal carrier from Harlem, the guide aimed to provide African Americans with listings of businesses, such as hotels, restaurants, and gas stations, where they could find safe and welcoming services. The Green Book emerged in response to the pervasive Jim Crow laws, which enforced segregation and often made travel for black individuals fraught with challenges, including the risk of humiliation or violence.
Initially focused on New York, the guide expanded nationwide through contributions from black postal workers who shared information on local businesses that accepted African American customers. It became an indispensable resource for black travelers, including notable entertainers who faced discrimination even in their professional capacities. Over the years, as the civil rights movement gained momentum, the Green Book began addressing issues of discrimination more explicitly. Although it ceased publication after the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the guide has experienced a resurgence of interest, particularly following a 2018 film inspired by its legacy. Today, scholars and enthusiasts work to preserve the history of the Green Book and the sites it highlighted, commemorating its significance in the African American travel experience.
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The Negro Motorist Green Book
The Negro Motorist Green Book was a guide book published from 1936 to 1966. It was created to help African American travelers find businesses where they could safely eat, sleep, purchase gas, and find services such barbers and hair salons that would accept black customers. It was also known as the Negro Traveler’s Green Book or simply as the Green Book. It was considered a necessity for black people who travelled in America during the era before civil rights laws overturned discrimination based on color.
Background
The practice of slavery was ended in the United States during the American Civil War (1861-1865). However, as free African Americans sought jobs in many parts of the American South, white people were concerned about being displaced by the influx of an African American labor force. This type of resentment is not uncommon when a new group is introduced into an established social environment. In the case of African Americans, it led to the introduction of laws permitting segregation of blacks from whites.
The laws were initially passed in the 1890s and were known as Jim Crow laws after a derogatory slang term for African Americans. One of the first laws, a Louisiana statute prohibiting blacks and whites from riding in the same railway cars, was challenged in the US Supreme Court. The justices upheld the law as long as the separate facilities were equal for whites and non-whites. Other laws restricted African Americans’ rights to vote, prevented them from marrying whites, prohibited them from living in certain neighborhoods, and severely limited where they could shop, eat, and go to school. These laws created an atmosphere where it was widely considered acceptable to exclude black people from many public places.
Efforts to overturn the laws grew slowly during the next several decades. However, it was not until the 1960s that civil rights laws were passed to end discrimination and segregation. In the meantime, America had created a number of highways and national parks as part of the effort to put people to work in the aftermath of the Great Depression of the 1930s. As the economy recovered from this significant downturn, the automobile industry grew rapidly and an increasing number of Americans were able to purchase cars. People became more mobile and began to travel for relaxation.
Overview
Many African Americans also owned cars and wanted to travel. The Jim Crow laws made travelling across the South very challenging because African Americans had a harder time finding businesses that would serve them. Although the laws were not in force in northern states, racial discrimination was still common in many places. Traveling was also sometimes dangerous, as many communities prohibited African Americans from being outside after dark. Black people in an unfamiliar neighborhood could be unable to find a store or even a bathroom that they could use. In some situations, they could face verbal or physical attacks for merely being in the area.
In the mid-1930s, a man named Victor Hugo Green had an idea to help his fellow African Americans. Green was a postal carrier in the Harlem section of New York City. He had heard of guide books published to help Jewish people who were discriminated against had been refused services. Green also realized that because of his job, he was aware what businesses welcomed African Americans and which ones refused them service along his route.
By 1936, Green had gathered information about his New York City neighborhood and published the first Green Book guide. It helped black travelers avoid embarrassment or threats by identifying which businesses would serve them without problems. Green then called on black postal carriers around the country to provide information on their areas, allowing him to create a national guide. He also offered a cash payment to people who provided information on businesses that served blacks without discrimination. These businesses ranged from hotels and restaurants to individual homeowners who were willing to open their home to black travelers, sometimes without expecting any payment.
The guide was published annually, with each edition including new information gathered during the previous year. It became an indispensable aid to any African American travelling across the country. This included many black entertainers, who found that even if they were a headliner in big show, they were not guaranteed a room in the town’s nearby hotels or a meal in a restaurant after they performed. Many performers, including some of the biggest names in the entertainment world at the time, used Green’s guide to find places where they could stay and eat.
The books were sold by subscription. They were also available in many black churches, at some businesses that welcomed African Americans, and at Esso Gas Stations across America. They were considered indispensable for any African American who was travelling outside of their home neighborhood.
As time went on, the Green Book was expanded to include areas outside of the United States, especially how to get there via friendly airlines or cruise ship services. Later guides also highlighted cities that were especially good or especially dangerous for black travelers. Throughout most of its publication history, the Green Book took a soft stance when it came to highlighting discrimination, referring to the challenges imposed by segregation as “inconveniences” or by other non-inflammatory terms. However, in the forward to one edition Green did write of hoping that the guide would one day not be needed because Jim Crow laws would be abolished.
During the 1950s and early 1960s as the civil rights movement grew, the Green Book increasingly addressed discrimination in a more direct manner. As new state statutes limiting discrimination and segregation were passed in the 1960s, the Green Book included sections outlining these changes. Green did not live to see these changes. He died in 1960 and his wife, Alma Duke Green, continued his work following his death.
On July 2, 1964, the Civil Rights Act was enacted and banned all discrimination based on race, color, religion, gender, or country of origin. The Green Book was published for a few more years, with the 1966-67 guide being the final edition. Gradually, people forgot about the Negro Motorist Green Book. However, a 2018 movie inspired by a real-live road trip generated new interest in the book and its role in African American history. Efforts were initiated to identify sites that were included in the book and record their role in history. Of special note were sites along the iconic Route 66 highway from Chicago to California.
Bibliography
Andrews, Evan. “The Green Book: The Black Travelers’ Guide to Jim Crow America.” History, 6 Feb. 2017, www.history.com/news/the-green-book-the-black-travelers-guide-to-jim-crow-america. Accessed 18 Feb. 2019.
“A Brief History of Jim Crow.” Constitutional Rights Foundation, www.crf-usa.org/black-history-month/a-brief-history-of-jim-crow. Accessed 18 Feb. 2019.
Coleman, Arica L. “The Movie Green Book Is Named for a Real Guide to Travel in a Segregated World. Its Real History Offers a Key Lesson.” Time, 17 Nov. 2018, time.com/5457827/green-book-history/. Accessed 18 Feb. 2019.
Fulwood, Sam. “The Return of the Negro Motorist Green Book.” Think Progress, 26 April 2018, thinkprogress.org/the-return-of-the-negro-motorist-green-book-d3c71a07e99e/. Accessed 18 Feb. 2019.
Goodavage, Maria. “Green Book Helped Keep African Americans Safe on the Road.” Public Broadcasting Service, 10 Jan. 2013, www.pbs.org/independentlens/blog/green-book-helped-keep-african-americans-safe-on-the-road/. Accessed 18 Feb. 2019.
“The Negro Motorist Green Book, 1949.” University of Michigan, www.autolife.umd.umich.edu/Race/R‗Casestudy/Negro‗motorist‗green‗bk.htm. Accessed 18 Feb. 2019.
“Route 66 and the Historic Negro Motorist Green Book.” National Park Services, ncptt.nps.gov/rt66/green-book/. Accessed 18 Feb. 2019.
Townsend, Jacinda. “How the Green Book Helped African-American Tourists Navigate a Segregated Nation.” Smithsonian, April 2016, www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/history-green-book-african-american-travelers-180958506/. Accessed 18 Feb. 2019.
“Travels with the Green Book.” CBS News, 13 Jan. 2019, www.cbsnews.com/news/travels-with-the-green-book-the-history-of-the-negro-motorist-green-book/. Accessed 18 Feb. 2019.