Black History Champion

His name was not well known, at least his last name, one Victor Hugo Green, named after the famous French writer, Victor Hugo. Mr. Green was a black New York City postal employee and wrote travel books on the side.

In the 1930s he began to compile a book filled with the names of hotels, motels, restaurants and gas stations that would welcome black travelers. During these times black families were not welcome. In 1936 he published the first Negro Motorist Green Book.

Since some towns did not have hotels or motels that would accept African Americans, he added tourist homes where they rented rooms.

In 1947 he opened a Vacation Reservation Service to support the establishments listed in his “Green Book”.

Green died in 1960 and his wife, Alma, continued to print the guide until 1966. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 which prohibited racial segregation in public facilities helped put an end to the need for the Green Book.

In 2018, the movie “Green Book” premiered. The movie was a true story about Dr. Don Shirley, an African American classical pianist, who toured the United States in 1962 including the Deep South.

The movie won many awards including Oscar Best Picture, Best Actor in Supporting Role, and Best Writing of a Screenplay. The movie grossed $321.8 million.

If you have never seen it, it will be shown on the FX channel on Saturday, March 11 at 4 p.m. and again at 1 a.m. on Sunday, March 12.