LIGHTING THE WAY

WHERE THE WAY IS DARK

[Outdoor Photo of a Mother, Father and child Standing by a Car], 1948-1970s. Rev. Henry Clay Anderson. Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture. (c) Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture.

THE EXHIBITION

The Negro Motorist Green Book, an exhibition developed by the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service (SITES) in collaboration with award-winning author, photographer and cultural documentarian, Candacy Taylor, offers an immersive look at the reality of travel for African Americans in mid-century America and how the annual guide served as an indispensable resource for the nation’s rising African American middle class and evidence of a vibrant business class.

The Negro Travelers’ Green Book, Fall 1956. Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Manuscripts, Archives, and Rare Books Division, The New York Public Library.

COMPASS

The story of the Green Book crosses the entire United States – take a look at some of the sites advertised in the Green Book by region

ONLINE EXHIBIT

Can’t see the exhibition in person or just want to learn more? Journey through the story of the Negro Motorist Green Book in this online exhibition.

The Negro Motorist Green Book, Covers. Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Manuscripts, Archives, and Rare Books Division, The New York Public Library.

SHARE YOUR STORY

The legacy of the Green Book lives on even today – do you or someone you know have a story about the Green Book or one of the businesses advertised in the Green Book? Share them here!

[Photographic postcard of Linnie King and Virginia Bryant Williams], 1941. Unidentified. Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Jackie Bryant Smith.

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.