TAMPA, Fla — The original Negro Motorist Green Book served as a guide for African Americans to locate safe havens to visit or spend their money while traveling through the South in the era of Jim Crow.
A black postal worker from New York named Victor H. Green came up with the idea for the Green Book and created the first version of the book based on his own experiences and recommendations from black postal service members he worked with.
By 1937, The Negro Motorist Green-Book grew to become a 15-page directory covering Green’s home turf, the New York metropolitan area, listing establishments in every state along with some international safe havens as well.
"It was not only a good idea, it was necessary for us back during segregation. In the book, each town you went into, it told you where you could sleep, where you could eat without being harassed," said long time activist and retired deputy from the Hillsborough County Sheriffs' Office, Clarence Fort.
The guide pointed black travelers to places including hotels, restaurants, beauty shops, nightclubs, golf courses and state parks.
"We had quite a few here in Tampa but as integration came about a lot of the black owned businesses had to close down because they couldn't keep up with the other merchants," said Fort.
One of the mentioned safe havens in The Green Book for Tampa Bay was the Jackson House, known for safely housing black people and their families. Prominent African American's such as Ella Fitzgerald and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. stayed at the Jackson House during their travels.
Now, the 24-room house on Zack Street in Tampa, built back in 1901, is undergoing renovations, with the financial support of The owners of the Tampa Bay Lightning, Jeff and Penny Vinik, who donated $1 million toward the Jackson House Foundation restoration efforts.
"It's going to have rooms dedicated to the singers that stayed there like Nat King Cole, Ella Fitzgerald who wrote " A Tisket and A Tasket" right here in the Jackson House," said Penda King, vice chair of the Jackson House Foundation.
The final edition of the Green Book was published in 1966-67, filling 99 pages. Now we're seeing the next generation continue the legacy of encouraging people to invest in the black community.
"Black humans have consistently supported other businesses period. For people asking, one of the easiest things you can do is make sure that you start to spend your money intentionally. Recognizing that equity isn't pie, if I get a piece doesn't mean that you don't get a piece," said Hillary Van Dyke, co-founder of the Green Book of Tampa Bay.
The Green Book of Tampa Bay brings minority businesses to the forefront, similar to the original Green Book, and as an online platform is working to make it easier than ever for people self search and support black owned businesses.
"On the website, It'll bring up businesses in your area, if you want to search for another area you can. People can go in and add businesses to the list so the site is always updated, user friendly, and accessible," said Joshua Bean, co-founder of the Green Book of Tampa Bay.
Through One Community Plan's #InThisTogether initiative, the group was able to provide web development services to make the Green Book of Tampa Bay website more user-friendly and better equipped for businesses to have their own individual entries, that owners can submit for processing for free.
"Our concept started out as just a listing of restaurants we knew and would visit personally, but we wanted to get the community involved more and get more black owned businesses seen and heard. Having the new website, more functionality, fast processing, and the ability for people to add to the ever growing list has been a huge help in growth," said Van Dyke.
Looking ahead, the Green Book of Tampa Bay hopes to continue their digital growth through their website and one day plan to offer an Green Book of Tampa Bay app that people can download and easily access.
To learn more about the Green Book of Tampa Bay you can click here and here and if you would like to donate to the Green Book of Tampa Bay and support their efforts you can do so by clicking here.
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