1/x I’ve been reading through editions of The Green Book for a project. The Green Book was a small booklet published beginning in 1936 to advise black people where they could travel safely without having to deal with Jim Crow. Here’s a picture of the cover for the 1940 edition 
2/x One edition of the book described it this way: “most people who go on holiday...are seeking someplace that offers them rest, relaxation, and a refuge...The negro traveler is no different. He too is looking for vacation without aggravation.”
3/x Early versions implied but did not say flat out that the booklet was meant as a workaround against Jim Crow. Later versions were more explicit, going so far as to publish a summary of each state’s race discrimination laws.
4/x The book offered recommendations not just for hotels, restaurants and diners but also gas stations that would serve Blacks, which was necessary in planning long car trips and knowing where to stop. But it wasn’t just about convenience.
5/x The book also warned against sundown towns - small southern towns where it was unlawful for blacks to say overnight, hence the name sundown town.
6/x The book carried ads from companies that catered to blacks. It was distributed by mail and also at Esso (now Exxon) stations, the only large oil company that franchised gas stations to Blacks. But ironically enough even the US government distributed it to travelers.
7/x The book was the brainchild of Victor Green, a mailman from New York. He died in 1960 and didn’t live to see passable of the 1964 civil rights act, which barred racial discrimination in places of public accommodation.
8//8 The book was still being published in the 1960’s. Here’s the 1963-64 edition. The New York Historical Society sells replicas if anyone is interested.
