June 19 or Juneteenth is now a federal holiday but it’s long been celebrated by the African American community. It observes the date in 1865 when enslaved African Americans were freed in Texas. But Black motorists well into the 20th century still experienced segregation and discrimination.
By the 1930s, many African Americans had automobiles and succumbed to the lure of the open road, especially the famed Route 66. Still, travel wasn’t so carefree for them in the Jim Crow era.
Business owners turned them away at restaurants, motels, gas stations, even restrooms. In some states “sundown” laws required people of color to be out of town by dark. Roadside breakdowns or accidents could be dangerous. And the farther west they traveled on Route 66, the greater the distance between services.
Part of being prepared meant bringing along "The Green Book" written by Victor Hugo Green, a New York mail carrier. He published the first edition in 1936, listing places where Black motorists were welcome for a meal or a bed for the night along the 2,400 miles of the Mother Road. The cover advised, “Carry Your Green Book With You. You May Need it.”
Often these were Black-owned businesses, but not always. Among those in northern Arizona’s reach of Route 66 were La Posada Hotel in Winslow, El Rancho in Holbrook, and the Nackard Inn in Flagstaff.
The Green Book was updated and published annually until 1964. It provides a lens into a time when the freedom of the open road wasn’t free for everyone.
This Earth Note was written by Rose Houk and produced by KNAU and the Sustainable Communities Program at Northern Arizona University.
