Stories of community, business innovation, and creative self-determination

Started in 1936 by Harlem postman Victor Green, The Negro Motorist Green Book was an annual guide that helped African Americans travel the country safely, and with dignity, during a time of Jim Crow laws and segregation. The Green Book was also an indispensable resource for the era’s successful Black-owned businesses and rising African American middle class.

The Negro Motorist Green Book exhibition will offer an immersive look at the reality of travel for African Americans in mid-century America and how the guide, first published in 1936, served as an indispensable resource for the nation’s rising African American middle class. It includes a variety of objects ranging from business signs and postcards to an original “Green Book.” Historical footage, images, and firsthand accounts convey not only the apprehension felt by African American travelers, but also the resilience, innovation, and elegance of people choosing to live a full American existence. The exhibition will also highlight the success of many African American-owned businesses that made these journeys possible.

The Negro Motorist Green Book was created by the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service in collaboration with Candacy Taylor and made possible through the generous support of Exxon Mobil Corporation.