For many, summer means travel — exploring new places, seeking adventure, making memories. But for much of American history, this freedom was dangerous, controlled, and out of reach for millions.
Throughout history, Black people’s movement has been heavily controlled, restricted, and surveilled. Whether heading to a nearby restaurant or crossing state lines, the desire to move freely often invited harassment, violence, or worse — forcing Black travelers to remain vigilant not just about safety, but about where they would even be welcomed.
Between 1936 and 1966, during the Jim Crow era, Victor Hugo Green, a Black postal worker from New York City, published the Green Book, also known as The Negro Motorist Green Book or Green-Book. It listed lodging, diners, gas stations, and other businesses welcoming to Black customers by city and state, primarily in major cities like Chicago and Detroit. This book served as an essential resource for Black Americans to explore their country, engage in the economy, and participate as curious, active citizens for decades until its discontinuation shortly after the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
As we approach Juneteenth, the distance we’ve traveled — and the distance still ahead — comes into focus. Today, Black Americans can access public spaces without legal restrictions, control their movement, participate fully in the economy through an increasing number of Black-owned businesses, and actively engage as civic activists striving to expand rights and freedoms for themselves and their communities. Yet, recent years have shown that racial hostility and the threat of violence against people of color are on the rise. Protecting our peace and ensuring our safety as we move through the world remains as urgent as ever.
In honor of Green’s legacy and Juneteenth, Fenton members of the Inkwell developed and designed our own Green Book, celebrating a list of people, places, and things where we live. Our 2026 Green Book features Black historic sites, Black-owned restaurants and businesses, cultural institutions, and notable local luminaries. We hope others use this list in their daily travels over the year as a reminder of our past and how far we still have to go to be a country where everyone is able to move, explore, and live with full freedom.