As host of the 10-week podcast series, which drops every Tuesday through mid-November, Hall aims to use stories of tense moments like this one – as well as happy memories – to resurface the history and value of the Green Book. His idea for the podcast came about three years ago.
"Our show evolved from being a road trip, a journey along a path, into a journey into the memories and emotions of the people along that path and they would often in a moment connect the events they were talking about to today," Hall said. Hall and Woods Weber explored some of the Green Book's listings such as Dooky Chase's Restaurant in New Orleans and the Lorraine Motel in Memphis. Many establishments no longer exist, including the Summers Hotel which is now a vacant lot.
William Williams, a professor of architecture at the University of Cincinnati, told Hall his family refused to travel without a copy of the Green Book – it was akin to a Bible. While the travel guide is praised today as innovative, it was, unfortunately, necessary to navigate local expectations, he said. Jim Crow laws varied by state: In some, Black people could not walk on the same sidewalk as white people and were expected to move out of a white person's way.
And while things have changed since last century's Great Migration period when the book was often used, the possibility of violent encounters is still a reason for Black drivers to be nervous on the road. In fact, Woods Weber's heart fluttered while making their journey, more than 90 years after the Green Book was first published.
Honoring the work of my family! Very good listen!