Date: May 12th
Category: Historical Resistance | Hidden Histories | Travel
Imagine packing for a road trip, not just with clothes and snacks, but with maps that told you where you’d be allowed to eat, sleep, use the toilet, or even buy petrol.
Now imagine knowing that a wrong turn could get you arrested. Or worse.
For millions of Black travellers during the Jim Crow era in the United States — and in colonial and post-colonial settings across the globe — this was not imagination. This was reality. Today, The Time Traveller’s Guild explores the quiet resistance of those who dared to travel while Black, and the secret networks that helped them do it.
🚫 The Barriers: Segregation on the Move
In the US, the “separate but equal” doctrine enforced segregation in everything from restaurants to railcars. For Black travellers, a journey by car or train often meant:
- Being refused service at hotels, even when booked in advance
- Having to sleep in vehicles or roadside ditches
- Denial of food or toilets at service stops
- Threat of racial violence if found in the “wrong” neighbourhood after dark
Travel was supposed to mean freedom — but for Black communities, it came with daily risk.
⚠️ In 1956, over 20 states had travel segregation laws on the books.
📗 The Green Book: Resistance in Your Glove Compartment
Enter Victor Hugo Green, a Harlem postal worker who launched The Motorist Green Book in 1936. What began as a directory for New York soon expanded nationwide.
The Green Book listed:
- Hotels and guest houses that welcomed Black guests
- Restaurants, garages, and beauty parlours
- Safe havens in sundown towns (where Black people were forbidden after dark)
Its tagline?
“Carry your Green Book with you — you may need it.”
At its peak, the guide was a lifeline for travellers across the US, Canada, and even parts of the Caribbean.
🏨 Hidden Gems: The Hotels That Gave Shelter
Many of these listings weren’t lavish — they were homes turned into guesthouses, Black-owned inns, or churches with rooms upstairs.
Some standouts:
- Hotel Theresa, Harlem, NYC – Known as the “Waldorf of Harlem”, it welcomed civil rights leaders and jazz legends alike.
- The Dew Drop Inn, New Orleans – A hotel and music venue where Black travellers could eat, sleep, and dance.
- Paschal’s Motor Hotel, Atlanta – A hub for strategists of the Civil Rights Movement.
In the UK and across the Commonwealth, similar informal networks existed — especially for Caribbean, African, and Indian travellers navigating Britain’s postwar racism in the 1950s–70s.
🗺️ Can You Visit Today?
Yes! A growing number of these sites are being restored or memorialised:
- 📍 The Green Book Exhibit – Smithsonian National Museum of African American History & Culture
- 📍 Hotel Theresa Building, Harlem – Now a federal office building, with a plaque honouring its history
- 📍 The Dew Drop Inn, New Orleans – Undergoing restoration as a cultural landmark
- 📍 Bristol’s Race Relations Trail, UK – Explore Windrush-era lodging and gathering spots
📚 Want to Know More?
- Overground Railroad by Candacy Taylor – A powerful exploration of the Green Book
- Driving While Black (PBS Documentary) – Watch online
- Green Book Digital Archive (NYPL)
- Black and British: A Forgotten History by David Olusoga (UK context)
💬 Join the Conversation: #TravellingWhileBlack
Have you or your family used the Green Book — or a UK equivalent? Know of a safe haven that became legend?
Share your stories or artwork using #TravellingWhileBlack and tag @TimeTravellersGuild. We’ll feature the most powerful posts at month’s end.
