North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources (North Carolina African American Heritage Commission)

The North Carolina African American Heritage Commission will create an online database, host community discussions, and develop traveling exhibits based on the Negro Motorist Green Book. The annual guidebook, published from 1936 - 1966, helped African-American travelers avoid business owners who refused to serve them. The guidebook compiled listings of "oasis spaces," businesses throughout North America that would welcome African Americans. Today, many of these safe spaces have been lost to urban renewal and sites still standing are rarely recognized. The project seeks to preserve and honor the resilience of previous generations of African Americans, while educating communities across North Carolina about the history and importance of these often-overlooked historical sites, and encouraging the preservation of the few structures that still exist.