The “Green Book” was a travel guide published from 1936-1964 by a black postal worker in Harlem, NY named Victor H. Green. He featured restaurants, hotels, barbershops, beauty parlors, taverns, garages and gas stations that were willing to serve black people during the Jim Crow era. Victor Green said he created the “Green Book” to “give the Negro traveler information that will keep him from running into difficulties, embarrassments and to make his trip more enjoyable.” There are many stories about the difficulties of blacks traveling in the Southern and Northeastern United States but it was even more challenging for blacks to travel in the Western United States. Only six percent of the 100+ motels that lined Route 66 in Albuquerque, New Mexico admitted blacks, so a travel guide was an absolute necessity. This video was produced by Candacy Taylor in association with National Park Service Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program Project director, Candacy Taylor received a grant from the Graham Foundation to document Green Book properties in Los Angeles County.
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