Black Business Owners Take Inspiration From The Green Book

A travel guide printed between the years of 1936 and 1966 becomes a source of ideas for modern Black business owners.

The plight of Blacks in America has been a long-standing history. The struggle for equality began several decades ago but there was the need for a documented guideline to direct a part of contemporary Black business owners . And this is the exact purpose the Green Book by Victor H. Green serves to Black travel businesses such as Noirbnb.

The birth of Noirbnb caused by humiliation and discrimination Black clients usually suffer at the hands of some travel companies. Stefan Grant and his partner Ronnia Cherry created  Noirbnb Black travel business, which warmly welcomes African-Americans. They wanted to give Black travelers that warm reception and excellent services they have been deprived of all this while because of the racist prejudice.

All this information is provided in their mission statement, which is published on the company’s website; “to not only provide safe and welcoming spaces for Black travelers to rent,” but also to “connect the African Diaspora in each corner of the world. We want to ensure that our community feels welcome, wherever they choose to travel and never have to face discrimination on their journey.”

Black travel business, Noirbnb can trace its roots to the documented history of the difficulties African-Americans faced when they had to travel around the U.S., the ‘Green Book.’

At the moment Becky Wible Searles, an animation professor, in collaboration with Calvin Alexander Ramsey, an author, are trying to transcribe the content of the Green Book into a documentary film.

The book recorded restaurants and motels that welcomed Blacks. This was at a time in America when many businesses and places didn’t treat Black people as human beings. Victor Hugo Green, a Black traveler, wrote the information about the places down so he could share it with his fellow travelers in order to help them avert humiliation and ill-treatment through avoiding ‘racist spots’.

Nevertheless, it was his wish that one day the Green book wouldn’t be needed since justice and equality would have been attained in America.

We welcome this idea and the initiative. Sadly, Green’s dream is still a dream, and such books are very important because Black people are assaulted everywhere: in the shops, cafes and beauty salons. Though there is still a chance to promote black business spreading Green’s and also Grant’s initiative on the other fields of life.

Source: Voanews