FYI Series – The Green Book Travel Guide & Decatur

presented by Peggy Allen Towns

Local historian Peggy Allen Towns will discuss the dangers of travel for African Americans in the early part of the 20th century and how Victor Hugo Green’s book made travel a little safer for Black people.  She will describe the perils of traveling, discuss sundown towns, Esso service stations, and what was in a ‘travel kit’ for Black travelers.  She’ll tell us about the Fannie Parker Hayes Boarding House here in Decatur – listed in the Green Book – and other services listed.  Peggy Allen Towns has authored three books of local history and is an active leader in the preservation of local historical sites.