The Green Book, the Original Book: The Negro Motorist Green Book

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Many of you have seen the movie "The Green Book" starring Viggo Peter Mortensen Jr. and Mahershala Ali. This movie depicts mostly real life events involving a New York City bouncer better known as Tony Lip, and Don Shirley, a black pianist in need of a driver for his eight-week concert tour through the Midwest and the Deep South.If you are White, you will probably not know that the Green Book was the name of an actual book. In the years before the passage of the Civil Rights act in 1964, Negros who were traveling faced a lot of problems. Most hotels would not rent them a room. Many if not most restaurants would not seat nor serve then. Most bars would not let them enter.This was especially true of the Deep South but was also true of much of the North as well.This led African American, New York City mailman Victor H. Green to collect and compose a booklet showing places where Negros could go and spend the night. This booklet was updated and published annually from 1936 to 1966.It is of historical interest now because we can look back and see which business establishments would allow or not allow Blacks to enter.I have here reprinted the 1949 edition of the Green Book. It also lists beauty parlors.