Spotlight on Black History #18

For thousands of black travelers throughout the early to mid-20th century, traveling around the United States could be risky – even deadly. Victor Hugo Green’s travel guides immediately addressed their needs and desires to traverse the roads with more freedom than ever before. For readers of these guides today, they serve as powerful history lessons.

Victor Hugo Green, who was born in New Jersey in 1892 but spent most of his life in Harlem as a postal worker, published travel guides titled The Negro Travelers’ Green Book, or The Green Book, between 1937 and 1967 that listed black-owned or non-discriminatory social clubs, restaurants, bars, parks and beauty salons in every state. Green’s guides also elaborated on special attractions in popular destinations through in-depth travel essays. Perhaps most importantly though, The Green Book included recommendations for where black travelers could spend the night. The guides often featured the addresses of “tourist homes,” or individuals willing to open their doors to people in regions of the country where hotels, motels or resorts were not accommodating to black patrons.