Opening The Road

Juvenile nonfiction 

"Victor Hugo Green was tired of hearing no.  Victor loved the freedom of driving on the open road, but too often the road was closed to him.  It was like this for most Black people in the United States."

     The invention of the automobile was a boon for white Americans.  Now they could go further than horse power would allow for.  A world of restaurants, motels, and amusement parks opened up for their enjoyment.  But that was back in Jim Crow times.  Many of those facilities and even ones as basic as restrooms, water fountains, and hospitals were whites only.  Not to mention that appearing in some places, especially at night,  could be dangerous or deadly for Blacks.

     This was what had Green fuming.  He wanted to change things.  One day he discovered a travel guide for Jewish people who weren't universally welcomed either.  What if he could create a book for Black motorists listing the facilities where they'd be welcome?

     Green hoped he'd see a day when his travel guides would no longer be necessary, "when we as a race will have equal opportunities and privileges in the United States."

     Keila Dawson, author of Opening The Road: Victor Hugo Green and His Green Book, tells readers that, even though we've made progress, we haven't arrived yet.

     "Even as movements build and some things improve, racist systems and practices persist.  We must continue to work together to stop discrimination by getting to know people who are different from us, practicing being a good neighbor, and speaking up when we see injustice."

On a purrrsonal note, while the foliage is lovely now, some signs of winter's approach are more ominous.  It's getting colder out, something I might not be as stressed by if I drove rather than bus commuted with walks to and from the bus stop.  The daylight hours are shrinking, making my commute less safe.  And when we get enough snow piled up the woods path will be impassable, leaving me a mile walk each way down Route 2.  Winter is when I most envy my friends who can drive. (Jules)

I hate to see her go out in that white stuff.  (Tobago)

A great big shout goes out to people who practice winter driving safety and watch out for pedestrians and to blizzard battles like Eugene.

Tobago and Jules Hathaway 

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