Researcher of Negro Motorist Green Book lands publishing deal

Candacy Taylor, who for years has researched properties listed in a long-defunct annual publication called the Negro Motorist Green Book, announced over the weekend three books about it will be published by Abrams Books. The central book in the deal is titled "Overground Railroad: The Green Book and Roots of Mobility in Black America." It … Continue reading Researcher of Negro Motorist Green Book lands publishing deal

Negro Motorist Green Book inspires photography book

The Negro Motorist Green Book played a key role in a fashion photographer's book, "Reclaiming the Mother Road," that portrays two stylish African-American women traveling Route 66 in Southern California. Photographer Ashley E. Osborne's eye, along with the charisma of models Tsola Akuya and Monia Hicks and their striking clothing, created dozens of images that … Continue reading Negro Motorist Green Book inspires photography book

A closer look at NAACP’s Missouri travel advisory

The NAACP last week issued a Missouri travel advisory, warning travelers and residents about possible discrimination and attacks against minorities in the state. The Missouri NAACP circulated a travel advisory in June, and the issue recently was taken up by the national organization -- the first time the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People … Continue reading A closer look at NAACP’s Missouri travel advisory

Route 66 Alliance working on Negro Motorist Green Book website project

The Route 66 Alliance and Mike McUsic are working on a website to help pass along photos, stories and video about Route 66 sites listed in editions of the Negro Motorist Green Books from 1936 to 1964, plus plenty of other of the usual road-trip material you might find. The Historypin website is meant to … Continue reading Route 66 Alliance working on Negro Motorist Green Book website project

When much of Route 66 was segregated

If you've got an hour, watch this recent video about author and photographer Candacy Taylor, who attended the Bay Area Book Festival to talk about her research into Route 66 and the Negro Motorist Green Book. If you're not familiar with the Green Book, it was an annual guide published from 1936 to 1966 by Harlem postal … Continue reading When much of Route 66 was segregated

Los Angeles may preserve ‘Green Book’ properties

Los Angeles and the Getty Conservation Institute are exploring the possibility of rehabbing and protecting about 50 properties once listed in the Negro Motorist Green Book. A few of the properties may be designated as L.A. Historic-Cultural Monuments, reported the Los Angeles Times. The Green Book was created by Victor H. Green, a postal service worker from Harlem, N.Y., … Continue reading Los Angeles may preserve ‘Green Book’ properties

This shows why black people aren’t nostalgic about Route 66

Interest in the history of Route 66 largely is fueled by the memories of people who traveled the Mother Road from 1946 to the mid-1960s. It's nostalgia. Black people don't share nostalgia as enthusiastically. I surmised it was because Jim Crow laws kept African-Americans at least uncomfortable or, at worst, fearful for their lives until the civil-rights … Continue reading This shows why black people aren’t nostalgic about Route 66

Documentary film, book coming about Negro Travelers Green Book

This weekend, filmmakers Calvin Alexander Ramsey and Becky Wible Searles will interview relatives of the former publisher of the Negro Travelers Green Book for a documentary, according to the New York Times. Victor Hugo Green, a letter carrier who lived in New York City, in 1936 began publishing the guidebook to help travelers find black-friendly … Continue reading Documentary film, book coming about Negro Travelers Green Book

Full inventory of Negro Motorist Green Book sites released

Here's another reason to go on a road trip: The Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program has released a list of all the properties listed in the Negro Motorist Green Book from 1936 to 1964 during the Jim Crow era of rampant racial segregation. A full list of the properties and their statuses is here. Kaisa … Continue reading Full inventory of Negro Motorist Green Book sites released

A video about the Negro Motorist Green Book

A few days ago, we told you about Candacy Taylor earning a grant to document Route 66 properties listed in editions of the Negro Motorist Green Book. About the same time Taylor's grant was announced, she uploaded this video about the book that helped African-Americans travel more safely during the Jim Crow era from 1936 … Continue reading A video about the Negro Motorist Green Book