The Astonishing Truth About the Perils of Black Travel During The Jim Crow Era

When Black Motorists Could Only Fill Up at These Gas Stations

For Black Americans living during the Jim Crow era, traveling within the U.S. often held grave danger. It required thoughtful planning, a bit of gumption, and an infamous travel guide known as The Green Book to navigate their way safely.  

As a part of their travel planning, Black families setting out for a trip discovered the importance of carrying an extra supply of gasoline in their car in case they ran out. And fearing that they might be turned away for food or lodging, packing food and blankets were a common requirement. 

Enter Victor H Green, a Black postal employee from Harlem who founded and published The Green Book guide to Black travel from 1936-1964. Green asserted that he wanted to “give the Negro traveler information that will keep him from running into difficulties and embarrassments.” Black Americans frequently credited it with providing life-saving information, earning it the distinction of the Bible of Black Travel.

One little-known fact is that the Standard Oil Company of New Jersey, known today as ExxonMobil, was the only major retail establishment during that time to distribute the Green Book. It was widely available through Standard Oil’s network of Esso gas stations, which welcomed Black travelers along with providing business opportunities for Black franchisees. 

Over a third of Esso dealers during the 40s were Black. They were also employed in myriad professional roles such as chemists, pipeline workers, and mariners.  

Candace Taylor, a prominent Black History scholar in her book “Overground Railroad: The Green Book and the Roots of Black Travel in America'' provides an exhaustive look at the challenges faced by traveling Black motorists along with the mostly Black-owned business providing much-needed support on their excursions. 

As she notes in her book, Black motorists often were turned away at gas stations, placing them at great risk of being stranded in unwelcoming territory. If they became stuck in an all-white town after dark, they could be harassed, arrested, or even lynched. 

The Green Book distribution network partnership at Esso was directly tied to a relationship cultivated between founder Victor Green and James A. Jackson, a Black marketing executive at the oil company. The collaboration was sparked by an article written by E. Frederick Morrow, an NAACP branch coordinator who later became the first Black American to hold a White House senior-level position under President Dwight Eisenhower. This article announcing Jackson’s appointment was featured in the 1939 edition of the Green Book. 

Green and Jackson agreed to publicize and market the Green Book in Esso stations throughout the U.S. This helped fuel Esso’s reputation as one of the most progressive companies in terms of its treatment of Black employees and customers. Esso’s repute had a national reach which carried weight with scores of Black consumers. 

Says Taylor in her book: 

“It’s likely that Esso’s benevolence for Black people had been inspired by Laura Spelman Rockefeller, the wife of John D. Rockefeller, Esso’s CEO. Spelman Rockefeller, who was white, had been raised in Cleveland, Ohio, in a house that was a stop on the Underground Railroad. Her parents, Harvey Buell Spelman and Lucy Henry Spelman had been fearless and powerful abolitionists….John D. Rockefeller was supportive of the Spelman family’s outspoken politics, and he wanted to do something to honor their commitment to racial equality.”