The Negro Motorist Green Book

The Negro Motorist Green Book offers an immersive look at the reality of travel for African Americans in mid-century America and the annual guide that served as an indispensable resource for the nation’s rising African American middle class. The exhibition includes artifacts from business signs and postcards to historic footage, images and firsthand accounts. Together, they convey the apprehension felt by African American travelers but also the resilience, innovation and elegance of people choosing to live a full American existence. The Negro Motorist Green Book showcases the vibrant parallel world of African American business, the rise of the Black leisure class and the important role of “The Green Book” played in facilitating the second wave of the Great Migration.

The Negro Motorist Green Book was developed by the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service (SITES) in collaboration with award-winning author, photographer and cultural documentarian Candacy Taylor. The exhibition was made possible through the support of Exxon Mobil corporation. The exhibition is supported locally by the Procter & Gamble Company.