Florence “Green Book” Lecture Given by Florence County Museum Registrar and FMU Professor
Join Cherish Thomas, Registrar of the Florence County Museum and Dr. Meredith Love, Professor of English at Francis Marion University, for a free public lecture, as they explore the history and legacy of The Negro Motorist Green Book and Florence’s “Green Book” sites; including Florence’s most renowned site, the Ebony Guest House, which is still standing today.
For more than thirty years, The Negro Motorist Green Book served as a nationally respected travel guide for African Americans, providing them with advice and recommendations on safe places to eat, drink, sleep, shop, and purchase fuel when traveling in Jim Crow-era America.
First published in 1936 by a New York City mailman named Victor Hugo Green, The Negro Motorist Green Book propagated the names and locations of boarding houses, hotels, restaurants, bars, and other businesses across the country where African Americans were welcome as customers.
From 1936-1967 many cities and sites in South Carolina were featured in the Green Book including eight in Florence. With the passing of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, The Negro Motorist Green Book slowly began phasing out of publication, ceasing altogether in 1967.
The lecture will be held at the Florence County Museum, 111 West Cheves St, on Thursday, January 23, 2020 from 5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. The event is free and open to the public.
For more information about this and other upcoming exhibits and events, please contact the Florence County Museum at 843.676.1200 or visit their website at flocomuseum.org.
