The Green Book Exhibit opened at the African American Museum at Loray Mill, and museum curator Dot Guthrie says the book is more than a historical navigational tool used by people during the segregated Jim Crow era.
“It is a motivational tool to know your boundaries and decide how far you want to go,” said Guthrie, who founded the African American Museum.
The museum will host the exhibit now until June 30.
The Negro Motorist Green Book was a guidebook for African American travelers that provided a list of hotels, boarding houses, taverns, restaurants, service stations and other establishments throughout the country that served African Americans patrons. Victor H. Green published it annually from 1936 to 1966 when discrimination against African Americans was widespread, according to the Smithsonian.
The exhibit in Gastonia represents a traveling exhibit symbolizing the green book made during the Jim Crow Era.
North Carolina has 327 locations listed in the book including a hotel and Dot’s Grill and Rooming House business in Gaston County.
Green, who was a postal worker in Harlem, New York, created the book for Black people after reading about similar guides made for Jewish audiences during the Holocaust.
“Black people would travel long periods during the night when traveling because they didn’t have safe places to stop,” Guthrie said.
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The exhibit includes brochures, book samples, a PowerPoint on display and eight panels highlighting local restaurants, hotels and more where Black people could do business.
“Books are the bibliotherapy that our young people need,” Guthrie said.
The exhibit comes from the North Carolina African American Heritage Commission and can be hosted at museums throughout the state.
The books are also available online at the New York Public Library website.
“When we look at different periods and history and how critical it was for Black people to survive, we have to look at the Green Book because folks were met with opposition when just stopping for gas,” Guthrie said.
“The book is another motivating factor that even when faced with opposition, we can use this to know that there are always diverse ways to meet your goals,” she added.
Guthrie says the book reminds her of why she values the museum as a second textbook for young people.
She intentionally includes items in her museum and exhibits to appeal to different learning styles.
“Everyone learns differently and we need to address the different styles to make the museum informative for every visitor,” Guthrie said.
She hopes that the exhibit will encourage young visitors to know their history and bring back memories for the older visitors.
“Some memories may not be so pleasant but this book teaches us about perseverance and what can be achieved,” Guthrie said.
The museum will be open Tuesdays and Fridays from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Reach Janiya Winchester at 980-319-6819 or jwinchester@gannett.com.
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