In May, the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity and Gov. JB Pritzker announced $4 million in grants for various projects along Route 66, including one to Springfield for an "interactive metaverse exhibit" that would focus on "the lived experiences of Black Americans traveling or living in communities along Route 66 throughout its history." Last week, … Continue reading “Interactive metaverse exhibit” coming to Springfield involves Negro Motorist Green Book
Tag: sundown towns
This shows why black people aren’t nostalgic about Route 66
Interest in the history of Route 66 largely is fueled by the memories of people who traveled the Mother Road from 1946 to the mid-1960s. It's nostalgia. Black people don't share nostalgia as enthusiastically. I surmised it was because Jim Crow laws kept African-Americans at least uncomfortable or, at worst, fearful for their lives until the civil-rights … Continue reading This shows why black people aren’t nostalgic about Route 66
Should Route 66 towns that were sundown towns apologize?
The above image is a postcard of the long-gone Royce Cafe along Route 66 in Edmond, Okla., from the 1930s or '40s. Do you see anything different about it? If you're not spotting it, here's a close-up the unusual part: The "6,000 Live Citizens -- No Negroes" part of the postcard was a symptom that … Continue reading Should Route 66 towns that were sundown towns apologize?