Oasis Spaces Green Book Project: African American Travel in NC

Did you know that over 300 businesses in North Carolina were listed in the Negro Motorist Green Book? In fact, there were 327. “The Negro Motorist Green Book,” published between 1936 and 1966, was both a travel guide and a tool of resistance designed to confront the realities of racial discrimination in the United States and beyond. The book listed over 300 North Carolina businesses—from restaurants and hotels, to tourist homes, nightclubs, and beauty salons—in the three decades that it was published. This tour and the correlating exhibit highlight a complex statewide network of business owners and The Green Book sites that allowed African American communities to thrive, and that created “oasis spaces” for a variety of African American travelers.

Many of the laws that affected statewide accommodations and restricted the access of African Americans in North Carolina were passed here at the North Carolina State Capitol. The sites listed in the Green Book were safe havens for African Americans ,not just traveling, but navigating safe places in their communities during Jim Crow. The Green Book was necessary as white legislators sought to disenfranchise African Americans and segregate various aspect of public life. 

 Since 2017, the NC African American Heritage Commission, completed research on North Carolina’s Green Book sites. The findings have been compiled in this interactive web portal which invites visitors to explore each site in depth through historical vignettes, stories, and images. The project also includes a traveling and virtual exhibition produced to highlight the experiences of African American travelers during the Jim Crow era in North Carolina.

This project was made possible in part by the Institute of Museum and Library Services. The views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this program do not necessarily represent those of the Institute of Museum and Library Services.