Once automobiles began circulating in Texas, barbecue joints and stands became more common. But how did African-American travelers find barbecue places where they were welcome during the Jim Crow era? Where there’s smoke, there’s Texas Monthly Barbecue Editor Daniel Vaughn.
Vaughn says a guide book called the Green Book” was an essential companion for African-Americans. Published between the mid 1930s to mid-60s, the travel guide informed black travelers which hotels, service stations and restaurants would welcome them – and by extension, which would not.
Vaughn explains that the Green Book was created not only to avoid embarrassment for travelers, but to offer protection against unsafe situations.
“You could be in some real danger if you were stopping at the wrong place or the wrong town,” Vaughn says.
What you’ll hear in this segment:
– How many barbecue joints were in the Green Book
– How the Green Book began
– How many barbecue joints were black-owned
Written by Manu Schneider.
