Wright museum exhibit explores ways Black Detroiters traveled in Michigan

Detroit —  When going on an American road trip, things like hotels, highways, pools and trains might come to mind as staples. These leisurely activities may seem apparent for many people, but in the past, they weren't accessible for many African Americans due to segregation.

A guide to traveling during segregation, "The Negro Motorists' Green Book" was first published in 1936 by American postal worker and travel writer Victor Hugo Green and became a valuable tool for Black travelers, which is one of many artifacts on display at the "Mapping the Michigan Green Book" exhibit, now through Sept. 10 at the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History.

Green was an African American postman, born in New York during the Harlem Renaissance and the era of Jim Crow laws. He wrote the original 10-page travelers guidebook for African Americans after his first-hand experience as a postal worker traveling in the northeast United States, according to the Federal Highway Administration.

Green's wife, Alma Duke, eventually became an official editor of the "Green Book," and other community members contributed to the editions with their travel experience. The book was distributed from 1936 to 1966 with updated editions that added cities throughout the U.S., Mexico and Canada to help Black people travel safely during a time when it wasn't always safe, said Jennifer Evans, exhibition manager at the Wright museum.

"It's interesting to look at these early travel guides and how despite limitations, people were able to navigate around the country and navigate around, in some instances pretty severe racial segregation where African Americans would meet violence. Instead, we have this book where everyone found this joy in traveling," said Evans.

In addition to the "Mapping the Michigan Green Book" exhibit, "Derrick Adams: Sanctuary," a contemporary art exhibition by Brookyln-based artist Derrick Adams, will also be on display. Both exhibits are devoted to "the historical significance of "refuge" and "safe spaces" for African Americans," the museum said in a statement.

"As we reflect on the Black experience in American history, these exhibitions shine a light on barriers to egress largely unknown to those outside of the Black community except amongst it perpetrators.  The 'Green Book' represented an innovative response that foregrounded African American resilience in the face of adversity" said Neil A. Barclay, president and CEO of the Wright museum, in a statement.

"Mapping the Michigan Green Book" focuses on Michigan locations written in the "Green Book" through its various versions. Six Michigan cities are highlighted: Ann Arbor, Covert, Detroit, Idlewild, Inkster and Woodlawn Park. Each city has locations listed in editions of the "Green Book" under hotels, tourist homes, restaurants and other stores that welcomed African American patrons.

"It's different things people would do for vacation or leisure," Evans said. "The Greens would go around and find places that were either racially integrated or that would allow African Americans to visit. So, then they published this information they found on their travels. Some cities like Battle Creek, Saginaw and Muskegon were listed in 'Green Book' editions but only ever had a handful of tourist homes and no hotels were ever listed. The book read at the top of each page in the 1940 edition, "in patronizing these places, please mention the Green Book."

The challenge for the team curating the "Mapping the Michigan Green Book" exhibition was finding locations that still had physical buildings people could still see today, since most of the locations are long gone, including buildings in Detroit, Evans said.

"Some of the locations in the "Green Book" don't exist anymore and so when the building or town was displaced, or demolished, some of that history got lost with it," said Evans. "Idlewild has been pretty well documented, and we have a lot of information about that town."

While some of the places listed in the "Green Book" no longer exist, Evans said the concept of traveling the United States for African Americans is something to reflect on. In Derrick Adams' art exhibit "Sanctuary," Evans said images that portray the idea of travel are on display.

"He read about the "Green Book" and did some research about Victor Green, segregation and the concept of travel in a racially segregated country. And then he created contemporary art that incorporates some of these themes. Within his work you'll see things like iconography of pro-travel, like on a highway's yellow dividing lines."

Evans said she looks forward to people learning more about what life was like using the "Green Book" and reflecting on the privileges of travel people have today.

'Mapping the Michigan Green Book'

Now-Sept. 10

Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History

315 E. Warren Ave., Detroit

Hours: 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Wednesday-Sunday. Closed Monday-Tuesday

Tickets: $15 for adults, age 13-61; $12 for ages 62 and older; $12 for youth ages 3-12; free for members and children younger than 3.

thewright.org