FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Susan Moss, Public Relations
Manager
susan.moss@ahc.alabama.gov,
334-230-2678
June 23, 2022
The Freedom Rides Museum presents
The Green Book: Navigating Jim Crow America
Exhibit
(Montgomery, AL) The Freedom Rides Museum presents
“The Green Book: Navigating Jim Crow America” Exhibit during the month of July.
The museum also returns to pre-pandemic Saturday hours beginning July 2, 2022.
The
Freedom Rides Museum, a historic property operated by the Alabama Historical
Commission, will host The Green Book: Navigating Jim Crow America, during the month of July. The exhibit focuses on the
annual Green Book travel guide that catered to Black travelers during the
twentieth century.
The
Green Book listed accommodations and businesses throughout the country that
welcomed and respected Black customers. The exhibit also highlights Alabama
businesses and homes listed in the Green Book and emphasizes how the Freedom
Rides and Civil Rights Act changed how Black Americans traveled. The Ben Moore Hotel in Montgomery and the Gaston Motel in Birmingham
are two remaining Green Book sites in Alabama. The exhibit is free with paid
admission to the museum.
“As
Americans take to the skies and the road to travel with their families this
summer, the Green Book Exhibit is a reminder that the freedom to travel across
the country has not always been easy for Black Americans especially during the
height of segregation”, said Dorothy Walker, Site Director, Freedom Rides
Museum. Walker continued, “We hope people will visit the museum to learn more about
how the Green Book helped play a role in American history and be inspired to help
locate Green Book sites in their own community.”
Also, join the Freedom Rides Museum for a virtual program via Zoom on Friday,
July 8 at 12:00pmwith Freedom Rider Dave Dennis, Sr. and his son, Dave Dennis,
Jr. as they discuss their recently released book, The Movement Made Us: A
Father, a Son, and the Legacy of a Freedom Ride. Dave Dennis, Sr. was one
of more than four hundred Freedom Riders in 1961 who risked their lives and
spent time in prison to challenge segregated practices in interstate travel. The
zoom link is on our webpage at https://ahc.alabama.gov/properties/freedomrides/freedomrides.aspx
Beginning July 2, 2022, The
Freedom Rides Museum will return to regular hours on Saturdays from 10am – 4
pm. For more
information or to schedule a group tour, contact the Freedom Rides Museum at freedomrides.museum@ahc.alabama.gov
or 334-414-8647. Follow the museum on Facebook for all the latest updates. The
museum has discounted tours for groups of 10 or more.
About
the Freedom Rides Museum
Working with concerned citizens, The
Alabama Historical Commission saved the Greyhound Bus Station from demolition
in the mid-1990s. The Museum is located at the intersection of S. Court St. and
Adams Avenue in downtown Montgomery. An award-winning exhibit on the building's
exterior traces the Freedom Riders' history. It uses words and images of the
Freedom Riders, those who supported them, and those who opposed them. Interior
exhibits highlight additional information on the Freedom Riders and the way in
which buildings were designed for racial segregation. Today, the Alabama
Historical Commission operates this significant site.
About the
Alabama Historical Commission
Located in historic downtown Montgomery at 468 S.
Perry Street, the Alabama Historical Commission is the state historic
preservation agency for Alabama. The agency was created by an act of the state
legislature in 1966 with a mission to protect, preserve and
interpret Alabama’s historic places. AHC works to accomplish its mission
through two fields of endeavor: Preservation and promotion of state-owned
historic sites as public attractions; and statewide programs to assist people,
groups, towns, and cities with local preservation activities. For a complete
list of programs and properties owned and operated by the AHC, hours of
operation, and admission fees please visit ahc.alabama.gov
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