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Both works, however, use the The Negro Motorist Green Book (or simply the Green Book) as a vehicle to portray aspects of daily life for African Americans in the Jim Crow south.  The Green Book was an annual guidebook of establishments (hotels, rooms for rent, restaurants, gas stations, shops, etc.) that accepted African American patrons during segregation.  It was published between 1936 and 1966, when, presumably, it was no longer needed following the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

The play is set in Jefferson City, Missouri on Saturday, April 26, 1956. The action takes place in the living room of Dan and Barbara Davis and their teenage daughter Neena, a middle class Black family whose home is listed in the Green Book as a safe place to stay for African American travelers.  As the day begins, Mrs. Davis is preparing food for a reception for W.E.B. DuBois following his speech later that day in Jefferson City.  As the story unfolds, it is revealed that one of the Davis family’s current houseguests, Keith Chenault, a traveling salesman for the Green Book, is planning to make a deal with the devil (Jim Crow) at the expense of his fellow Black citizens.  Also staying at the Davis home is a young African American couple, Captain George Smith and his wife Jacqueline, who took refuge there the previous evening after driving all day and discovering they were not welcome at local hotels.  The unexpected appearance of a white Jewish Holocaust survivor, who also depends on the Green Book to find safe lodging, throws an unexpected twist into the story.

The play is fast paced, dramatic, funny at times and, overall, emotionally wrenching. Following the performance, Center Co-Directors Cherry Steinwender and Laura Gallier led a rich and stimulating Talkback in which members of the audience volunteered stories of their experiences of “Travelling While Black”, both when the law necessitated the Green Book and even in current times.

Following the performance and Talkback, we gathered in the home of one of our members to process the experience. The Center for the Healing of Racism, in fact, always provides its members and guests the opportunity to share painful memories and express our feelings An in a safe, respectful, racially diverse group following each of our workshops and other events.  

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At a time of heightened racial tension throughout the United States, our work at the Center for the Healing of Racism has never been more important. Racism is one of the greatest ills in U.S. society.  Deeply embedded in our national culture, it’s a disease that hurts all of us.  But we also know that racism is a learned behavior that can be unlearned.  We believe the Center is uniquely equipped to heal racism, our national disease, through our groundbreaking programs.

Over the past 30 years since the Center was founded, we have seen dramatic examples of healing take place for participants in Dialogue: Racism and other Center workshops as individuals grapple with their racial conditioning and consciously begin taking steps toward healing and oneness.  For many people, participation in a Center workshop is the first time they have truly been educated about the different types of racism, the ramifications of racism and how seamlessly they are intertwined in every fiber of our society.  The comprehensive education we provide, in the context of a multi-racial, multi-ethnic group, provides the ideal context for participants to share their feelings, their fears and their common humanity in a safe, respectful, nurturing space. 

While it has been deeply gratifying to witness these moments of healing over the years, the Center’s long-term dream is to be able to extend our life-affirming programs to a much wider audience – beyond Houston, beyond Texas, into every state of the union.  For that, we need to grow as an organization. We’ll need to increase resources, staff, facilitators and access to new materials. 

As 2019 draws to a close, please consider making a tax-deductible contribution to the Center to help us expand our healing programs into a broken world.

Sincerely,

Cherry Steinwender

Laura Gallier

Co-Executive Directors

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