In tandem with The Negro Motorist Green Book exhibition on view at Holocaust Museum Houston (HMH; 5401 Caroline Street, Houston, TX 77004) Sept. 1 – Nov. 26, 2023, the Museum will host two free public lectures highlighting Houston’s connection to the indispensable resource for Black travelers in mid-century America.
On Thursday, Sept. 7 at 6:30 p.m., historians Leslie Wolfenden and Daniele Rose Dixon will present their research into African American Travel Guide Sites in Texas including hotels, restaurants, barber shops and other businesses that welcomed Black travelers during an era of segregation and Jim Crow laws and violence.
This program will spotlight sites primarily in and around Houston, and their historical impact on the Black experience of South-East Texas. Through their research, 115 former Black travel sites have been identified in Houston, with 13 sites “still standing” and eight of those noted in The Green Book.
Alfred Barnaby will be in attendance; inspired by a TV series.
“Watching ‘Lovecraft Country’ was my first exposure to sundown towns,” said Barnaby. “That’s when it hit me just how important the Green Book was to Black people’s survival back in the day.”
On Tuesday, Oct. 10 at 6:30 p.m., Dr. Lindsay Gary, author of The New Red Book: A Guide to 50 of Houston’s Black Historical and Cultural Sites, will discuss the research methods and practices used to create The New Red Book, in addition to challenges that were faced and the impact of the publication. She will highlight its connection to The Red Book of 1915 and the role texts have played in the past and can play in the future in preserving the legacy of Black historical and cultural sites.
“I saw Dr. Gary speak a couple of times before; she’s dynamic,” said Assata Newsome. “I’ll be bringing my entire crew with me to hear her break down our history at the HMH. I’m telling all my peeps to do the same.”
On view at the HMH, The Negro Motorist Green Book includes artifacts, images and firsthand accounts to convey not only the danger faced by Black travelers but also the resilience and innovation of Blacks refusing to let fear win. The Negro Motorist Green Book was created by the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service in collaboration with Candacy Taylor and made possible through the generous support of ExxonMobil. Learn more about the exhibit and the speakers at hmh.org/Roadmap, hmh.org/RedBook and/or hmh.org/tickets.
