#Negro Motorist Green Book

[contemplatingoutlander]

Trump continues having rallies in historic all-White "Sundown Towns," where Blacks had to leave by sunset.

Ayman Mohyeldin discusses the implications of Trump's having held rallies in Aug. and Sept. in four "Sundown Towns," where in the past Blacks had to leave/be off the streets by sundown. The rallies were held in Howell, MI, La Crosse, WI, and Johnstown, PA., and Mosinee, WI. Below is the video that Ayman posted on X.

AYMAN: "When your slogan is the nostalgic phrase Make America Great Again, a campaign tour of 'sundown towns' helps us all understand the America that Donald Trump is yearning for."

Trump keeps sending out his racist "dog whistles," while at the same time claiming that it is really "Whites" who are being discriminated against, and campaigning that he will ban the discussion in schools of "divisive" topics, like critical race theory, and instead promote a "patriotic" educational curriculum, like the whitewashed one developed by the 1776 Project in his last administration.

BlackPast: Sundown Towns:

Sundown Towns are all-white communities, neighborhoods, or counties that exclude Blacks and other minorities through the use of discriminatory laws, harassment, and threats or use of violence. The name derives from the posted and verbal warnings issued to Blacks that although they might be allowed to work or travel in a community during the daytime, they must leave by sundown. Although the term most often refers to the forced exclusion of Blacks, the history of sundown towns also includes prohibitions against Jews, Native Americans, Chinese, Japanese, and other minority groups. Although it is difficult to make an accurate count, historians estimate there were up to 10,000 sundown towns in the United States between 1890 and 1960, mostly in the Mid-West and West.

The Green-Book

The rise of sundown towns made it difficult and dangerous for Blacks to travel long distances by car. In 1930, for instance, 44 of the 89 counties along the famed Route 66 from Chicago to Los Angeles featured no motels or restaurants and prohibited Blacks from entering after dark. In response, Victor H. Green, a postal worker from Harlem, compiled the Negro Motorist Green Book, a guide to accommodations that served Black travelers. The guide was published from 1936 to 1966, and at its height of popularity was used by two million people.

[edited]

[blackfolksintime]

The Beaumont Barbecue restaurant; Dallas, 1947.

In the late 1930s, it was one of only two barbecue joints in Texas to be included in editions of The Negro Motorist Green Book.

[houghtonlib]

Houghton Library acquires a copy of the Green Book for 1949, a vital guide for African American travelers in the Jim Crow era.

Green, Victor H. The Negro motorist green book: an international travel guide. New York, N.Y. : Victor H. Green & Co., [1949]

2023-638

Houghton Library, Harvard University

[ptseti]

THE NEGRO MOTORIST GREEN BOOK

Black history facts you didn’t learn in history class… During the days of #JimCrow segregation, it was difficult to be a traveller. This book explains it all.

[schraubd]

A Statutory "Green Book" After 303 Creative

In 303 Creative, the Supreme Court held that at least in some circumstances a business's free speech interest in avoiding producing expression it disagrees with constitutionally must trump the application of anti-discrimination law in areas of public accommodation, notwithstanding the admittedly "compelling state interest" the latter type of law protects.

It was not so long ago that minorities in America had booklets they carried to let them know which businesses it was safe for them to patronize, knowing that in certain places and communities they could not simply assume that a hotel, restaurant, or shop open to the general public would be open to them. The Jewish Vacation Guide was one example, the Negro Motorist Green Book was another. In circumstances where discrimination was lawful, these resources served several important needs. 

First, of course, they let their readers know where certain services simply would be unavailable. One does not want to travel through or move into a town where the only hotel or restaurant will refuse to serve you. 

Second, and almost as importantly, they enabled readers to avoid shops which would refuse to grant them service. This is distinct from the first injury, because there is a severe dignitary harm in being refused service on account of one's identity even if a competing business across the street that will happily take one's dollars. One feature of public accommodations law is precisely that one doesn't have to "run the risk" that in entering a storefront on Main Street you'll endure the indignity of being asked to leave because you're the wrong skin color, religion, or sexual orientation. Absent that guarantee being fully enshrined into law, resources like the Green Book enabled travelers to know in advance which storefronts to avoid so they wouldn't have to face that sort of humiliation.

In keeping with that tradition, I wonder if one way of balancing 303 Creative's First Amendment protections with the again conceded-to-be-compelling interest in robust antidiscrimination protections is via the time-tested policy of disclosure. States can pass laws which require any business that wishes to claim a First Amendment exemption from all or part of an anti-discrimination statute to publicly announce and display that choice; and the state can likewise maintain a list of businesses which make such claims. The law would be a sort of statutory Green Book, letting patrons know what businesses are at least claiming an ability to discriminate (and by extension assuring them that businesses not on the list remain safe to patronize).

Here's my very rough crack at some model legislative language:

Sec. XXX -- Exemptions

(a) Registration. Any business which seeks to claim a First Amendment exemption from all or part of the [this state's anti-discrimination law] ("a business seeking an exemption") must, at least thirty days prior to asserting any claim for such an exemption,

(1) Register with the Secretary of State their intent to claim an exemption, including specifying which portions of the law they assert they will not comply with.

(2) The Secretary shall publish the names and addresses of all businesses who register their intent to claim an exemption under this subsection on a publicly available website, including which provisions of the law they claim exemption from. 

(b) Public display. Within thirty days of receiving a filing under Sec. (a)(1), the Secretary shall issue a notification to the business seeking an exemption stating that "WARNING: THIS BUSINESS HAS FILED FOR A FIRST AMENDMENT EXEMPTION FROM THIS STATE'S ANTI-DISCRIMINATION LAWS", including specifying which portions of the law the business claims exemption from. Unless otherwise inapplicable, the text of this notification shall be conspicuously displayed in

(1) The front window or doorway space of any physical location of the business that is open to the general public or the businesses' regular customers; and

(2) The front page of any webpage or social media account controlled by the businesses and through which it advertises its business to the general public;

(3) Notwithstanding any other portion of this subsection, if a business claiming an exemption has neither a physical storefront under subsection (b)(1) or a webpage under subsection (b)(2), the text of the notification shall be displayed in any reasonable location where it will be conspicuous for the average customer considering patronizing the business.

(c) Presumption of sincerity. Any business which complies with the provisions in this section shall be deemed to have established, as a rebuttal presumption, the sincerity of their belief that compliance with [this state's antidiscrimination] conflicts with their own expressive beliefs.

(d) No entitlement to, or expansion of the scope of, exemption. Except as detailed in subsection(c), compliance with the provisions of this Section shall not entitle the business seeking an exemption from antidiscrimination law to any relief from the requirements of antidiscrimination provisions beyond that which is constitutionally required under the First Amendment; nor does it immunize the business seeking an exemption from any public or private proceeding seeking to enforce anti-discrimination provisions that would not otherwise violate the First Amendment.

The basic idea of this provision is simple: if you want to claim a First Amendment right to discriminate, you have to claim it publicly, in advance, so that people who would be denied service can plan accordingly. By creating a master list of discriminators, and by requiring businesses who seek to assert a right to discriminate to prominently display their intent on their storefront, it is far less likely that customers who would end up being excluded will on accident patronize the business.

The law would have some other salutary effects as well. By creating a reasonably comprehensive list of businesses asserting a right to discriminate, the state can learn of the existence of any "dead zones" where members of certain marginalized groups may be severely restricted or entirely unable to obtain services -- data that could be very useful for future legislative action. As reflected in subsection (c), the law also I think would aid in dividing the actual true believers from the opportunists -- I assume that only those who really, truly believe in their discriminatory impulses will be willing to announce in advance to the world "I am a discriminator" (as the 303 Creative plaintiff, to her "credit", was willing to do).

What are some potential drawbacks? One possibility is that it will be assumed that a law like this will enable more businesses to discriminate than otherwise would be licensed to do so by 303 Creative; I wrote subsection(d) to try and forestall that risk. Under this statute, registering a claim for an exemption is just that -- a claim, and the claim does not guarantee success. A business that registered but whose activities were not protected under 303 Creative's umbrella would still be liable, notwithstanding their registration.

Another possible problem is the argument that a law like this itself constitutes compelled speech. On face, the requirement that the business post the "WARNING" placard in its store to me doesn't seem any different than requiring a restaurant to display the health inspection notice. But there might be something different here insofar as the broader thrust of the statute would be to force businesses to "go public" with their intention to discriminate. While there's something instinctively odd about claiming a free expression right to avoid expressing one's deeply-held beliefs, there are circumstances where such a claim makes sense -- NAACP v. Alabama is the obvious template here. Alabama in the 1950s sought to require that the NAACP disclose the names and addresses of its members; the NAACP, unsurprisingly, did not wish to make this information public and claimed a First Amendment right to keep their membership data private. The Supreme Court ruled in favor of the NAACP (incidentally, NAACP was perhaps unsurprisingly a key precedent relied upon by the Griswold Court regarding the existence of a right to privacy). The NAACP had obviously reasonable fears that disclosure of their membership would render them vulnerable to harassment and violence; the discriminating businesses might claim fears of a similar vulnerability.

NAACP is clearly distinct, however, for a simple reason: the NAACP did not simultaneously seek to keep its "expression" quiet and claim that its expressive activity entitled it to a governmental benefit  (I've always found the Little Sisters of the Poor style claim -- wanting an exemption, but also being outraged at being forced to actually ask for the exemption -- to be utterly ridiculous). With regards to its membership information, the NAACP truly wanted nothing more than to be "let alone"; there was never a circumstance where the organization would wield its membership data as a sword against the state. By contrast, by stipulation the discriminators do wish to go public regarding their beliefs when they tell the state "you can't enforce your anti-discrimination law against me because I believe X". At most, what they want is to be able to hide their beliefs until the last minute. But that's a far less pressing claim -- at some point, the business seeking the right to discriminate will have to go public with its claim, and so it does not seem unreasonable to insist that the pivotal moment occur before an unwitting customer is humiliated and denied service.

And on the subject of harassment: certainly, violence and vandalism are never justified. But often in this context, "harassment" means nothing more than a consumer counter-boycott -- the company refuses to do business with certain groups because of its beliefs; many other consumers decide accordingly that they will no longer patronize the business in protest of that discrimination (ex: the Jewish community members who no longer are purchasing from a Kosher bakery that decided it couldn't bake "pride" treats). That is not harassment, that's counter-speech. And in that register, I'd argue that under 303 Creative's logic enabling customers to know "this business asserts a right to discriminate" is free speech facilitative, not chilling.

One of the virtues of public accommodations law is that it dissipates, under normal circumstances, the inference that basic business transactions are expressive. I very much prefer a world where the bakery that bakes a cupcake for a client isn't seen as sending some sort of message of approval towards the client and the client that eats the baker's treat isn't sending a message of approval toward the baker (beyond "this cupcake is delicious"). That, to me, seems a far more pleasant space to live in than one where every turnip and widget we buy or sell can be taken as some sort of sweeping moral approval for our business partners.

But the Supreme Court did not agree. And once we open the door to saying that ordinary business transactions should be perceived as expressive, then customers as well as businesses have a strong interest in knowing the political and social views of who they're transacting with so they can assure themselves that values align, and can redirect their dollars where they do not. This is one reason I think a consequence of 303 Creative will be to supercharge "cancel culture" -- the more businesses are allowed to say "we don't serve your kind", the more customers must be allowed to say in return "well then we don't buy from your kind". The only thing worse than cancel culture is unidirectional cancel culture. If businesses can "cancel" customers for supporting gay rights, then customers should be equally empowered to cancel businesses for asserting a right to discriminate.

Again, the model language I've written above is rough. But I'm curious what First Amendment scholars and other interested parties think of the idea. We may have to tolerate certain businesses asserting a constitutionally-protected right to discriminate. But customers have rights too. One of those rights is to have confidence that one can walk into a storefront and be served as an equal. Another right is to be able to avoid patronizing businesses who insist they have a deeply held commitment to discriminating against you, your family, or your loved ones. This statute, it seems, can help bring these clashing interests into balance.

via The Debate Link https://ift.tt/9X0UOKh

[longliveblackness]

The Negro Motorist Green Book, popularly known as the Green Book, was a travel guide intended to help African American motorists avoid social obstacles prevalent during the period of racial segregation, commonly referred to as Jim Crow.

The book listed businesses that would accept African American customers. The book was the vision of Victor Green, an African American US postal employee from Harlem, New York. The first guide focused on Metropolitan New York. The next year, in 1937, Green expanded listings to other locations.

His book would eventually include every state and several international destinations before ceasing publication in 1964.

Before its demise the book was the most popular of several tourist guides created specifically for an African American audience.

These types of travel guides were necessary during the Jim Crow era because African Americans were subiect to acts of discrimination and occasional intimidation as many businesses refused to accept them as customers. African American motorists, for example were warned to avoid sundown towns which required minorities to be outside the city limits before sundown, hence the name. African American travel could be fraught with risk and guides like the Green Book were an important resource.

Green wrote that his book would not be necessary "when we as a race will have equal opportunities and privileges." He died in 1960 and the last edition of his guide was published in 1964.

The 1956 creation of the national highway system diminished the need for these travel guides because highways minimized contact with local communities, decreasing chances for discrimination against African American motorists. Eventually, the passage of the 1964 Civil Rights Act made the Green Book and similar publications obsolete, just as Green predicted.

•••

The Negro Motorist Green Book (“El libro verde del conductor negro”), popularmente conocido como el Libro Verde, era una guía de viajes que tenía la finalidad de ayudar a que los conductores afroamericanos evitaran obstáculos sociales que prevalecían durante el periodo de la segregación racial, comúnmente conocido como la era de Jim Crow.

El libro contenía una lista de negocios que aceptaban clientes afroamericanos. El libro fue la visión de Víctor Green, un empleado postal afroamericano, originario de Harlem, Nueva York. La primera guía se centró en el área metropolitana de Nueva York y al año siguiente, en 1937, Green lo amplió a otras ubicaciones.

Su libro eventualmente incluiría todos los estados y varios destinos internacionales antes de dejar de publicarse en 1964.

Antes de su desaparición, el libro era el más popular de varias guías turísticas creadas específicamente para una audiencia afroamericana.

Este tipo de guías de viaje fueron necesarias durante la era de Jim Crow porque los afroamericanos estaban sujetos a actos de discriminación e intimidación ocasional, ya que muchas empresas se negaban a aceptarlos como clientes. A los conductores afroamericanos, por ejemplo, se les advirtió que evitaran las ciudades del atardecer, estas requerían que las minorías estuvieran fuera de los límites de la ciudad antes del atardecer. Los viajes de afroamericanos podían estar llenos de riesgos y guías como el Libro Verde eran un recurso importante.

Green escribió que su libro no sería necesario "cuando nosotros, como raza, tengamos las mismas oportunidades y privilegios". Murió en 1960 y la última edición de su guía se publicó en 1964.

En 1956, con la creación del sistema nacional de carreteras, se disminuyó la necesidad de estas guías de viaje porque las carreteras minimizaban el contacto con las comunidades locales, lo que disminuía las posibilidades de discriminación contra los conductores afroamericanos. Eventualmente, la aprobación de la Ley de Derechos Civiles de 1964 hizo que el Libro Verde y publicaciones similares quedaran obsoletas, tal como predijo Green.

[leaarongmail-blog]

The UNTOLD Story of the Negro Motorist Green Book #history

[jms-viriato]

El libro verde de los afroamericanos

Entre 1936 y 1966, el trabajador de correos estadounidense Victor Hugo Green publicó anualmente una guía de viajes que es testimonio de una era y de su sociedad: The Negro Motorist Green Book.

Esta guía recogía una lista de alojamientos, restaurantes y negocios "seguros" para los afroamericanos. Esto sucedía porque, en una era donde el racismo imperaba abiertamente, los establecimientos podían negarse a darles servicio y corrían el riesgo incluso de ser arrestados arbitrariamente. Esto lo sabía bien su autor, puesto que él mismo era afroamericano.

Esta guía facilitó mucho la vida a la clase media afroamericana que podía permitirse un coche y viajar por el país, especialmente cuando viajaban al Sur profundo. La última edición fue la de 1966 ya que en 1964 se había aprobado el Acta de Derechos Civiles, que ponía fin a la segregación racial. La prensa dirigida a afroamericanos apoyó el proyecto de Green durante los 30 años que duró su publicación.

[cyarskaren52]

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blackinformationnetwork

For today’s lesson, we’re exploring the significance of the Negro Motorist Green Book, a vital guide for Black travelers during the era of segregation.”

#BINBHM #BlackHistory101

Sidenote: on September 11, 2018(TIFF) and November 16, 2018(United States) Green Book, American biographical comedy-drama film directed by Peter Farrelly premiered in theaters. Starring Viggo Mortensen and Mahershala Ali, the film is inspired by the true story of a 1962 tour of the Deep South by African American pianist Don Shirley and Italian American bouncer and later actor Frank "Tony Lip" Vallelonga, who served as Shirley's driver and bodyguard. Written by Farrelly alongside Lip's son Nick Vallelonga and Brian Hayes Currie, the film is based on interviews with Lip and Shirley, as well as letters Lip wrote to his wife. It is named after The Negro Motorist Green Book, a guide book for African American travelers founded by Victor Hugo Green in 1936 and published until 1966.

Despite criticism of the film perpetuating racial stereotyping by advancing the white savior narrative in film and criticism from Shirley's relatives criticized it because they thought it misrepresented the pianist's relationship with his family and they were not contacted by studio representatives until after development started, the movie was a critical and commercial success garnering praise for the performances of Mortensen and Ali as well as numerous nominations and awards most notably the Academy Award for Best Picture, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Supporting Actor (for Ali)

[saga-news-and-fandom]

Ohhh this reminds me of something

[lboogie1906]

The Negro Motorist Green Book, known as the Green Book, was a travel guide intended to help African American motorists avoid social obstacles prevalent during the period of racial segregation, commonly referred to as Jim Crow. The Green Book listed businesses that would accept African American customers.

The book was the vision of Victor Green, an African American US postal employee from Harlem. The first guide focused on Metropolitan New York. In 1937, he expanded listings to other locations. His book would include every state and several international destinations before ceasing publication in 1964. The book was the most popular of several tourist guides created specifically for an African American audience.

African American motorists, for example, were warned to avoid sundown towns which required minorities to be outside the city limits before sundown. African American travel could be fraught with risk and guides like the Green Book were an important resource.

The Green Book provided a service that made lodging reservations for clients. The listings were verified annually to ensure accuracy. The books included travel articles, driving tips, and essays highlighting locations of interest.

The guide’s format varied and early versions listed a variety of businesses such as hotels, tourist homes, restaurants, barber shops, beauty parlors, service stations, and taverns. As the geographic scope of the guide expanded, entry types were reduced. Between 1949 and 1959, listings expanded to all 48 states, with a 13% increase in the number of cities. The 1959 Green Book listed only hotels, motels, and tourist homes.

He died in 1960 and the last edition of his guide was published in 1964. The 1956 creation of the national highway system diminished the need for these travel guides because highways minimized contact with local communities, decreasing chances for discrimination against African American motorists. The passage of the 1964 Civil Rights Act made the Green Book and similar publications obsolete. #africanhistory365 #africanexcellence

[ledenews]

Today at the OCPL: The 5th Annual Ann Thomas Memorial Lecture Featuring Alvin Hall 

Ann Thomas was an optimistic, courageous woman, a nurse, educator, pioneer, and dedicated patron of the Ohio County Public Library, who was recently inducted into the Wheeling Hall of Fame. After she passed on February 22, 2019, the Library's Lunch With Books program launched an annual memorial lecture series in her honor. Distinguished guests have included historian Dr. Joe Trotter of Carnegie Mellon University, Affrilachian poet Crystal Wilkinson, author and activist Dr. William Turner (pictured above right with Ann Thomas's granddaughter Carrie Ann), and Michelle Duster, great-granddaughter of civil rights legend, Ida B. Wells. The series's 2024 guest will be Alvin Hall, author of Driving the Green Book. On the BBC, Hall hosted the award-winning series, "Your Money or Your Life," on which he offered both practical financial and psychological advice. He is an internationally renowned financial educator, award-winning television and radio broadcaster, artist, and bestselling author. In the summer of 2019, Mr. Hall hit the road, with companions Janée Woods Weber and Oluwakemi (Kemi) Aladesuyi, for a 12-day, 2,000-mile trip from Detroit to New Orleans. The route was based on information gathered from the historic travel guide, The "Negro Motorist Green Book." The Green Book was designed to help African Americans while traveling to avoid places that would turn them away due to Jim Crow segregation and instead lead them to establishments where they would be more welcome. The people Hall interviewed shared powerful stories and memories of that time that became the center of the award-winning podcast and book, "Driving the Green Book. "  "Singletary's," aka "The Dixie," the Wheeling restaurant owned by Ann Thomas's aunt and uncle, once appeared in the Green Book as did a few other establishments like Doc White's Pharmacy. Read More About Wheeling in the Green Book. The 2024 Ann Thomas Memorial Lecture will take place at Lunch With Books TODAY, February 20, 2024 at noon. The Library has copies of the book available for purchase and signing by Mr. Hall (Hardcover $20, inquire by email). For more information, check the Library's website at www.ohiocountylibrary.org, or call 304-232-0244. The Next Lunch With Books program on Feb. 20 at noon: The Ann Thomas Lecture featuring Alvin Hall, author of "Driving the Green Book." See below for details. Read the full article

[gr8gollygrace]

Sundown Towns - Notes + Thoughts

A Black History learning series crafted by Rachel Cargle

Sundown Towns refers to places that were/are "white-only" through "laws, harassment, and threats or use of violence."

many Black individuals were permitted to work in these spaces, but were not allowed 'past sundown'

Often also extended to other people of color and racial minorities

"estimate[d] . . . up to 10,000 sundown towns in the US between 1890 and 1960, following the Great Migration of Black families away from the South East"

towns like Edmond, OK and Mena, AR advertised anti-Black policies as a reason to live there

If businesses provided rentals, home or business loans, or employment to Black people in these towns, the residents would often boycott that business

Marion, IN(1930): two Black teenagers were lynched causing 200 Black residents to move away

These towns made it difficult for Black people to move on the motorways, as they would often travel through towns antagonistic of them

"Victor H. Green, a postal worker from Harlem, compiled the Negro Motorist Green Book, a guide to accommodations that served Black travelers."

Who benefited from this history being buried or erased?

because there was little record-keeping in terms of how these towns were kept 'white-only' prevented them from being criticized or seen as illegal and immoral - difficult to describe why sundown towns are bad without clear 'evidence'

[sethshead]

"The Jewish Vacation Guide, first published around 1916, was a compilation of Jewish-owned or Jewish-friendly places where it was safe for Jews to eat, sleep and visit. The guide also listed everything one might need on a vacation: automobile repair, drugstores, grocers, tailors, cobblers and a Kodak photography studio. The guide connected Jews to a network of places that did not just tolerate, but welcomed them. Dozens of the listings touted kosher meals, often made with farm-fresh butter and eggs. The conditions at some of the rented rooms were far from luxurious, but they made up for modest offerings in hospitality and affordability. A large number of these places were in The Catskills, which ultimately became a vacation hot spot. The guide later served as the introduction to Victor Hugo Green's 'Negro Motorist Green Book.'"

h/t Judith Shaw Beatty

[criticfilm]

10 Intriguing Trivia About “Green Book” That Uncover its Inspirational Journey! ⚡

1️⃣ The True Story Behind “Green Book”: “Green Book” is based on the true story of the real-life friendship between Tony Lip (played by Viggo Mortensen) and Dr. Don Shirley (played by Mahershala Ali). The film draws inspiration from the experiences documented in the “Negro Motorist Green Book,” a guidebook for African-American travelers during the era of segregation.

2️⃣ A Friendship Forged: The film beautifully captures the evolving friendship between Tony Lip and Dr. Don Shirley. Despite their cultural differences and initially rocky start, the two characters form a deep bond that transcends racial barriers and societal expectations.

📌 For more reading, you can visit: