The Negro Motorist Green Book

Opening Weekend Celebration

Celebrate the opening of The Negro Motorist Green Book exhibit at DC Public Library with a weekend full of immersive activities, live performances, local history and more.

Saturday, Nov. 2 | 1 - 4 p.m.

• Panel Discussion | Washington Post columnist Colbert King will moderate a discussion between Gizelle Bryant (Real Housewives of the Potomac), Josephine Beavers (Vocalist), Virginia Ali (Ben's Chili Bowl) and Richard Lee (Lee's Flower Shop). They will talk about their family ties to the Green Book and its historical significance for Black business owners and traveling performers in an era of segregation.
• Children’s Sock Hop | Families will enjoy dancing, a ball pit, balloons and story time in the Children's Room 
• 9th and G Diner | Enjoy diner foods catered by Florida Avenue Grill with a view of 9th & G Streets at a recreation of a Green Book era diner (while supplies last)
• Relax in the 5th Floor lounge | DJ Scooter Magruder (WPFW FM 89.3) and Poet Taylor (WPGC Radio) will be broadcasting live from the library playing music popular at Black Broadway clubs and theatres. 
• The Musicians' Greenbook: An Enduring Legacy | Enjoy a screening of the documentary, The Musicians' Greenbook: An Enduring Legacy. Explore the stories and music of Black artists who relied on an underground travel guide to navigate the injustices of racial segregation while on the road.
• Pop-up Green Book Museum | Meet representatives from organizations featured in the Green Book in D.C. exhibition, including the The Phyllis Wheatley YWCA, The Royal Golf Club, The Musicians' Greenbook: An Enduring Legacy and The Heurich House Museum.

Sunday, Nov. 3 | 1 - 4 p.m.

• Vintage Car Show | Come see the cars and hear the stories showing how families traveled during the Green Book era. 
• Teenarama Dance Party | Relive the 1960’s with dancing to the music of the Mustangs and DJ Scooter Magruder, competitions and door prizes hosted by the African American Music Association.  
• Food Trucks | Snag bites from Rito Loco, Roaming Rooster, and Goodies (for purchase)

About The Negro Motorist Green Book

The Negro Motorist Green Book offers an immersive look at the reality of travel for African Americans in mid-century America and the annual guide that served as an indispensable resource for the nation’s rising African American middle class. The exhibition includes artifacts from business signs and postcards to historic footage, images and firsthand accounts. Together, they convey the apprehension felt by African American travelers but also the resilience, innovation and elegance of people choosing to live a full American existence. The Negro Motorist Green Book showcases the vibrant parallel world of African American business, the rise of the Black leisure class and the important role of The Green Book played in facilitating the second wave of the Great Migration. 
 
The Negro Motorist Green Book was developed by the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service (SITES) in collaboration with Candacy Taylor. The exhibition was made possible through the support of Exxon Mobil corporation. Public programming for the exhibition supported by the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture. The Arts & Exhibits Program at DC Public Library is made possible in part through the generous support of the DC Public Library Foundation.
 

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