PRESENTATION: THE ROOTS OF ROUTE 66: THE GREEN BOOK AND DRIVING WHILE BLACK TO THE LAND OF ANGELS

Like an artery, Route 66 connected urban and rural America from Chicago to Los Angeles, crossing eight states and three time zones. No other road has captured the imagination and the essence of the American Dream. This 2,440-mile “road of dreams” symbolized a pathway to easier times. It was one of the few U.S. highways laid out diagonally and cut across the country like a shortcut to freedom. But being being black and traveling Route 66 during the Jim Crow era was a dangerous, life-threatening trip. Blacks couldn’t eat, sleep, or even get gas in most white-owned businesses. To avoid the humiliation of being turned away, millions traveled with portable toilets, bedding, gas cans, food and the Negro Motorist Green Book. The “Green Book” featured lodging, restaurants, hair salons, tailors, department stores, taverns, gas stations, garages and even real estate offices that were willing to serve blacks. This presentation will include video, photography and stories surrounding Green Book businesses in Los Angeles and along Route 66.

Thursday, November 10, 2016, 7pm The Petersen Automotive Museum 6060 Wilshire Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90036 Free Admission

For more information about the Green Book project, visit http://taylormadeculture.com/the-green-book/ THE NEGRO MOTORIST GREEN BOOK: DOCUMENTING STORIES AND SITES OF SANCTUARY IN LOS ANGELES is a project supported through the Community Stories Project (CS) program.  Please visit our website to learn more about California Humanities programs.