America was forever changed by the automobile. With the production of affordable cars in the early 20th century, people could travel the country on their own time. But for African Americans, traveling by car was especially meaningful -- and challenging, writes historian and professor Gretchen Sorin in her new book Driving While Black.

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However, African Americans were not allowed to travel freely until the later part of the 20th century. During the Jim Crow Era, racial discrimination was widespread across the entire United States, sometimes even written into the law. Many white-owned businesses were segregated or refused to serve African-Americans, and it was much easier for a white family to take to the open road for a vacation than a black family.

But as Sorin writes, a new economy for black road-trippers emerged in time. The famous Green Book, for example, documented restaurants and hotels across the country where African Americans were welcome to stop. This increased level of mobility, Sorin writes, was a weapon against segregation and contributed to the Civil Rights Movement's successes.

In addition to historical records, Sorin's book draws on her family's experience with driving: the places they visited, the worries they felt, and the precautions her parents took to arrive safely at their destination.

Guest:

Gretchen Sorin, author of “Driving While Black: African American Travel And The Road To Civil Rights” (Liveright Publishing, 2020); professor and director of the Cooperstown Graduate Program at the State University of New York College at Oneonta