During the early to mid-1900s, or the era of the Jim Crow laws, discrimination against black people was widespread throughout America. Even though this discrimination and poverty of black people limited their car ownership, African Americans still bought automobiles as soon as they could. However, this meant further discrimination and inconveniences along the road. Coined by a mailman Victor Hugo Green, the Negro Motorist Green Book, or just “Green Book” was a guide for black travelers on the road. The book was oriented to a black audience to help them find black-friendly stops. It included lists of hotels, guest houses, service stations, restaurants and more, its coverage starting in the New York area and eventually to the rest of North America.
Victor Hugo Green originally created this book once he became weary of the Jim Crow laws and the harm they did to Black travelers. Many African American road-trippers were unable to find safe places to eat and sleep, further inconveniences to their arbitrary police arrests. He wanted to create an atmosphere in which Black people could travel and explore without fear. This concept would end up spreading nationwide, eventually leading to travel agencies for African Americans.
I first stumbled upon this when I watched the movie “Green Book” on a plane back from the East Coast. Set in 1962, the movie details the life of an Italian American bouncer named Frank “Tony Lip” Vallelonga who accompanies an African American classical and jazz musician as his bodyguard and driver on a piano tour in the deep south. Tony, who at the start of the story is racist to black people, journeys with the pianist Don Shirley, using the “Green Book” as their guide. This movie was by a true story of musician Don Shirley and his bodyguard Frank Vallelonga. The film was extremely eye-opening and exposed me to the struggles many black people faced in the Jim Crow era, not to mention hilarious and heartwarming. I strongly recommend this movie to anyone who wants to learn more about this aspect of our nation’s history or even just wants a good laugh!
Sources:
Sources:
I think that the "Green Book" is such a fascinating thing because of how it reassured African Americans with a sense of safety when traveling in the Deep South to the extent that its impact is still talked about and depicted in pop culture today. You described the background information surrounding this topic as well as its impact really well. Also, considering the fact that black Americans who traveled around parts of America previously relied on personal experience or word of mouth to develop an idea of which establishments or areas to avoid, it becomes clear how revolutionary this one book was for black travelers because they no longer had to risk entering places where they would be harassed or be denied service.
ReplyDeleteSource
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/history-green-book-african-american-travelers-180958506/
I also think that your post displayed how the "Green Book" served as a tool for African Americans in their travels very well. I thought it was especially interesting how when African Americans were given a greater freedom of movement from cars, the restrictions of where they could travel was highlighted even more. Personally, my family travels to LA pretty frequently, and we often stop at restaurants and to use the bathroom. I couldn't imagine not being able to stop to use the restroom or even not be able to go to a restaurant. The "Green Book" reminds me of some of the freedoms that I take for granted as African Americans had to create such a book so they could know which facilities are safe to use.
ReplyDeleteI really like how you tied the creation of the "Green Book" back to the Jim Crow laws. Even though racial discrimination and poverty limited black car ownership, the African-American middle-class bought cars as soon as possible many time to avoid segregation on public transportation. The "Green Book" was important for many blacks who traveled such as athletes, entertainers, and salesmen. With such strict segregation laws and not much consequence when whites harmed blacks, many blacks went out of their way to find a safe spot to stop or stay for the night. They would even come up with creative ways to hide the reason they are not stopping at certain places to their children.
ReplyDeleteSource:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Negro_Motorist_Green_Book
Your post demonstrates the African American spirit of standing up for themselves through the automobile and travel. Even though they knew it was dangerous for them to go out and drive around the country, blacks still went on vacations to friendly hotels (as mentioned in the "Green Book") and powered through the hate of the period. You did a very good job of explaining how this "Green Book" acted as a guide for blacks during that time period so that they could no longer feel scared and fear what was going to happen to them on their trips.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/true-story-green-book-movie-180970728/