Jimmy Carter Museum opens Smithsonian exhibition exploring Black travel in 20th century America

Travel and tourism in the United States was a booming industry throughout the early to mid-20^th century, welcoming travelers from far and wide – at least, if you were white. For Black Americans, traveling was difficult and dangerous enough that a guidebook of resources emerged known as “The Negro Motorist Green Book.”

A new exhibition, brought to us by the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service, is visiting the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum from March 30 through June 23. The show explores how the Green Book helped guide Black travelers to hospitable lodging, welcoming restaurants, and places of community nationwide.

Documentarian Candacy Taylor is the author of “Overground Railroad: The Green Book and the Roots of Black Travel in America” and curated the exhibition at the Carter Library. She and Dr. Meredith Evans, Director of the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum, join Lois Reitzes on City Lights to discuss the new exhibition.