A Travel Guide for the Black American of 2018

At its core, traveling seems simple. It’s should be as easy as choosing a destination, packing a bag, jumping in the car and then riding off into the sunrise for a new adventure. But for Black Americans, things haven’t always been simple.

Up until the late 1960’s, African-American tourists navigated a segregated nation in an era of whites only hotels, businesses and “sundown towns” that banned Black people--and Blacks were not the only targets of these bigoted laws. Native, Chinese, Japanese, Mexican and Jewish Americans were also routinely subjected to harassment, threats, and acts of violence. Inspired by earlier books published for Jewish audiences, Harlem postal worker, Victor Hugo Green, developed a guide to help Black Americans travel without fear. The Negro Motorist Green Book was published for 30 years (1936-1966) as a paramount resource for Black travelers. Each guide, organized by state and city, was filled with lists of the safest places to eat, sleep or get a haircut in each city and offered insights on everything from civil rights to the fears and anxieties of being away from home in a volatile world.

Green said in the introduction of the 1948 Green Book:

“There will be a day sometime in the near future when this guide will not have to be published. That is when we as a race will have equal opportunities and privileges in the United States. It will be a great day for us to suspend this publication for then we can go wherever we please, and without embarrassment.”

While traveling and exploring has been made easier with the introduction of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the country’s subsequent progress, the challenges for Black travelers haven’t disappeared. A growing online movement, “The Black Travel Movement,” aims to take advantage of present freedoms by encouraging people of color to embark on a journey of meaningful discovery, create lasting memories and experience the world in person, where the past enriches the present and inspires the future.

Now, nearly fifty years after the start of the Civil Rights Movement, it is important that we honor the history and pay special attention to the locations and events that started a global dialog.

Among them is the infamous Lorraine Motel. This past summer, I had the honor of stepping into one of the most iconic locations in Memphis, Tennessee and in U.S. History. Now the site of the National Civil Rights Museum and the most visited restored civil rights landmark in America, the Lorraine motel is best known as the location of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr’s assassination exactly 50 years ago. During the segregation era, the motel was of the few overnight establishments open to both Black and white patrons. It’s proximity to Stax Records, filled its rooms with musicians and legends of music, including Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin, and Otis Redding. To learn more about the life and times of Dr. King, head over to Atlanta, Georgia. Visit Dr. King’s birth home, the site of his baptism and ordination, and the early headquarters of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference.

Selma, Alabama is home to the Edmund Pettus Bridge, where marchers set off to the state’s capital in Montgomery and were met with a brutality. In the nation’s capital, Washington D.C., you will find The Lincoln Memorial, the site of civil demonstrations where you can climb the steps to stand in the spot where Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr delivered his famous “I Have A Dream” speech. While in D.C., stop by the Supreme Court and site of the landmark ruling in Brown v. Board of Education which made it illegal to segregate public schools, or stand outside the gates of the White House, were the First African-American president, Barack Obama, resided for 8 years.

A little closer to my own home in Charlotte, you’ll find Woolworth’s in Greensboro, North Carolina. Now the home of the International Civil Right Museum, Woolworths made civil rights history when four freshmen from the Agricultural and Technical College of North Carolina took vacant seats at the store’s “whites-only” lunch counter and launched a nationwide movement. The aftermath of Woolworth set off a domino effect that traveled south to Rock Hill, South Carolina, just miles outside of Charlotte, where 9 African-American men were jailed after staging a sit in at a segregated McCrory’s lunch counter downtown.

No matter what your destination this year, make some time to share in the extraordinary tales of perseverance in the face of racism, segregation and illegal voting practices and stand for a moment in the footsteps of those that sacrificed life and limb in the pursuit of equality. These landmarks are full of gripping and soul-stirring history, they aim to educate national and international travelers regarding the dark, but significant period in recent American history. Careful and special emphasis has been given preserving these iconic landmarks and the role they played in tapestry of the United States.

IS the Charlotte blogger behind Just Her Carryon. Just Her Carryon is a Southern luxury travel and lifestyle blog dedicated to logging frequent flyer miles with minimal baggage. You’ll find travel tips, restaurant reviews, hotel and product recommendations and destination inspiration. Just Her Carryon is the travel guide for college educated, career-oriented women (and men) living the 9 to 5 life and start cashing in their vacation time to explore the world.