In the decades before the 1964 Civil Rights Act outlawed discrimination in public places, traveling throughout the country could be a minefield for Black Americans, including in New England. Finding safe places to stay or eat where they wouldn’t be turned away was a challenge.
That’s where the Green Book came in. A nationwide travel guide that provided a list of hotels, restaurants, and other places Black travelers would be welcomed and not put into dangerous situations. A new multi-part interactive project from the Boston Globe highlights over 300 places in New England that were featured in the Green Book.
Globe reporter Emily Sweeney spoke with The Public’s Radio morning host Luis Hernandez to talk about this project and some of the Green Book businesses in Rhode Island.
Interview highlights
On the inspiration behind “When Travel was Treacherous for Black People: The Green Book’s Legacy in New England”
Emily Sweeney: When I started reading some of the digitized Green Books, I was really surprised to see how many businesses were located, not just in Boston, but all six New England states. I think a lot of people, myself included, associated the Green Book with being somewhere else. You know what I mean? Like this is like a Southern thing. When you think of Jim Crow, you might think of somewhere else in the country, but unfortunately, discrimination was alive and well in New England just as much throughout all those years.
On the difficulties Black families faced when traveling
Sweeney: It’s kind of mind-blowing. You know, gas stations were listed. Obviously, that’s important when you’re out driving, just to be able to fill up your tank with gas and know that you can roll up and get fuel. That’s how important this guide was. There were instances all over New England where Black travelers [like] college professors were coming to town to speak at a conference [and] were suddenly told that their reservations that they made months in advance were suddenly no good. Famous actresses who were coming to like theaters to perform and were suddenly told their reservations made well in advance were no good. It’s heartbreaking. And the crazy thing is, is that this wasn’t that long ago.
On Rhode Island locations featured in the Green Book
Sweeney: For Rhode Island, there were about two dozen locations, mostly in Providence. Newport was home to a lot of places known as tourist homes. These tourist homes were often, were run by women. Sometimes they were widowed. They would rent out rooms in their home. Candacy Taylor, who wrote an amazing book about Green Book locations, she kind of compares them to the first Airbnbs. There are a whole bunch of those in Newport.
In Providence, you had the Biltmore. I mean, you can still see the letters up there on the hotel. It still operates as a hotel, although it’s no longer technically the Biltmore. The Biltmore would welcome Black travelers. It was listed in the Green Book year in and year out during that time period.
On what she’d like readers to take away from the Green Book project
Sweeney: I think it’s important for people to know about all these places that were listed. A lot of the businesses were Black-owned. Chances are there’s a Green Book site near you that you didn’t know about. I hope people get to learn more about these places. All the people; the owners and the customers who patronize these places. There are a lot of stories to tell and I think we’ve just scratched the surface. There are some that are still around and it’d be great to patronize these places and support them.
This interview was conducted by The Public’s Radio. You can listen to the entire story here.
