echoes of the green book
A Guide to the Green Book
A Guide to the Green Book
The covers of the 1940 (left) and 1956 (right) editions of the Negro Motorist/Travelers’ Green Book. Flip through every edition of the Green Book in the digital collection at the New York Public Library.
The Negro Motorist Green Book was a travelers guidebook created by Victor and Alma Green and published annually from 1936 to 1966. Leading up to and coinciding with the Civil Rights Movement, this era of Jim Crow was marked by segregation and anti-Black violence across the nation.
The Green Book was created by Black people for Black people.
The Echoes of the Green Book project builds on the tradition of Black business directories by bringing attention to historic Black-owned Green Book locations in the Twin Cities and making connections to current Black businesses.
Read on to learn more about the history of the Green Book, or use the navigation bar above to jump right into our highlighted historic and contemporary businesses.
At the same time, African American mobility was on the rise. In greater numbers than ever before, Black people were traveling outside of their cities or even across the country. This was due to a number of factors, particularly increased access to automobiles and disposable income. Suddenly, African Americans could travel for all kinds of reasons: to visit family members, go on vacations or pursue leisure activities, to work, etc. During this time period, thousands of Black folks also uprooted their lives in Southern states to seek safety and better economic opportunities in a mass movement known as the Great Migration. Be it short or long distance, traveling while Black was dangerous and could be life-threatening.
This map of Minneapolis and St. Paul from 1924 shows the geography of the two cities before the construction of I-94, I-35W, and Highway 55.
The highways were built right through historically Black neighborhoods, forcing people to move and businesses to close and destroying tight-knit communities.
The Green Book was a tool for Black travelers to navigate hostile landscapes and find places to safely eat, sleep, and fill up gas.
The Green Book helped Black travelers avoid businesses where they may be turned away or face white supremacist violence and discrimination. It also amplified Black-owned or allied businesses across the nation. It became an early Black-business directory and helped to generate wealth in communities of color. The Green Book included listings for places like hotels, private homes, restaurants, tailors, liquor stores, and service stations that would welcome weary travelers and show them a good time.
Green Book Sites in the Twin Cities
Street signs in the Rondo neighborhood with I-94 in the background.
Photo courtesy of the Rondo Center of Diverse Expressions.
Victor and Alma Green intended for the guide to be temporary, anticipating an eventual ease in the racist factors that made the Green Book necessary. This hopeful statement was included in each edition:
There will be a day sometime in the near future when this guide will not have to be published. That is when we as a race will have equal opportunities and privileges in the United States. It will be a great day for us to suspend this publication for then we can go wherever we please, and without embarrassment.
Green Book listings in Minnesota grew out of a need for Black travelers to identify safe locations to visit on their journeys through the Midwest. Throughout the book’s publication, there were around 87 businesses listed across the state of Minnesota. These sites are evidence that, even though segregation was formally outlawed in the state, the practice of racial discrimination and intimidation often continued unabated.
Residential segregation - a phenomenon that occurs as a result of discriminatory housing practices - was common throughout the North. Historically Black communities in the Twin Cities were formed when Black and other families of color were barred from living elsewhere. Racial covenants, or restrictive clauses embedded in property deeds, often prevented anyone who was not white from buying a home in certain neighborhoods. An estimated 30,000 racial covenants intentionally segregated Hennepin and Ramsey Counties, empowering racism and leading to racially homogenous communities. The Home Owners Loan Corporation's practice of redlining deepened these issues by assigning color-coded grades to residential areas indicating "mortgage security.” Racially integrated neighborhoods typically received the lowest grade, outlined in red, and were deemed “hazardous.” This rating by the federal government made it easier for cities to neglect and or even destroy Black neighborhoods.
Historically Black communities in the Twin Cities featured in this project include South Minneapolis, North Minneapolis, and the Rondo neighborhood in St. Paul. These vibrant communities contain a wealth of history which is often overlooked in mainstream narratives.
Hear from Rondo historian Nieeta Presley!
“Hearing the history and knowing about our businesses in the Green Book I learned the…values the connectedness of these businesses to the community. I found how there was much respect for the elders. These owners of the businesses, many of the business owners, gave back to the community. And they were activists, they were members of the NAACP back then… Many of these business owners fought for employee rights. ”
While not all businesses listed in the Green Book were Black-owned, this site focuses on highlighting historic Black businesses and entrepreneurs within Minneapolis and St. Paul. It’s important to honor and preserve this history and to see its reflections in our current moment.
Map courtesy of Hennepin County Library.
historic sites
Click to learn more about a selection of historic Black-owned businesses in the Twin Cities!
contemporary connections
Why does this history matter today?
want to learn more?
Click here to explore our sources and read more in-depth!
