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Chapter 6

Navigating a Segregated Reality

Segregation did not stop African Americans from building vibrant communities. Black Americans did the same things most Americans did—they visited with friends and family, organized social functions, went to the beach, and attended church. Though segregated, the worlds they built provided a safe haven from insults, mistreatment, and violence.

During the First and Second World Wars, many African Americans developed a new cultural consciousness. After having defended democracy abroad, many returned seeking to defend their rights as American citizens and were committed to change. This new spirit was sometimes referred to as the “New Negro.” Many white Americans resented this change and fought to maintain the racial and social status quo. Mob violence and race massacres against Black communities swept the nation.

Black and white photograph of African American girls dressed in swimsuits pose in/on/around a car. Some of them are holding balls and other sporting equipment.

African American Home Life

Men running with a football in front of two houses, ca. 1920

Young sharecropper and his first child, Hillside Farm, North Carolina, 1939

African Americans seized every opportunity to minimize segregation’s harms. Family, friends, and community and home life were a haven, and African Americans gathered on porches, front steps, and street corners to unwind and reconnect. Laughter, singing, and political or social debates were other ways African Americans coped with a society that devalued them.

Men running with a football in front of two houses, ca. 1920

Young sharecropper and his first child, Hillside Farm, North Carolina, 1939

Zollie Lyon and family at home, North Carolina, 1939

Gathering at Home

Common in the South, dogtrot houses consisted of two buildings connected by a breezeway. The floor plan allowed cool air to circulate and enabled people to gather together at the end of the day.

Black Beaches and Resorts

As African Americans settled in cities, they searched for places to escape the heat and urban bustle. A growing number spent time at resorts. Beaches and resorts that catered to African Americans flourished: Idlewild in Michigan, American Beach in Florida, Bruce’s Beach near Los Angeles, California, Oak Bluffs in Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts, became popular destinations for Black vacationers.

American Beach advertising fan, ca. 1935

Virginia Beach, Florida

Picnic at Highland Beach, Maryland

Vacationers at the Club House in Idlewild, Michigan, 1938

Page from Shearer Cottage guest book, 1932

Vacationers at Atlantic Beach, South Carolina

Making Safe Travel and Accommodations

Travel Guide

More than many Americans, African Americans needed to plan ahead before they traveled. Hotels, inns, restaurants, and public recreational areas were not always open to Black travelers. Many African Americans planned overnight stops at the homes of family or friends and packed food for their trips, as traveling without food might mean going hungry or risking a confrontation at a diner or restaurant.

Travel Guide

Featured Constellation

The Negro Motorist Green Book

African Americans relied on the Green Book for safe accommodations while traveling.

Explore the Green Book
Portrait of Shirley Chisholm.
Covershot of the NYPL Green Book interactive
Color map of Austn Texas showing redlining of neighborhoods.
The Negro Motorist Green-Book, 48 pages. This book provided travelers with information on businesses that serviced African American travelers.

Sign for the Booker T. Motel

Welcoming Guests

By indicating that Black guests were welcome, Black-owned motels like the Booker T took the guesswork out of deciding where to stay.

Featured Story

Rock Rest

Opened in 1938, this bed and breakfast welcomed Black visitors and summer workers in Kittery Point, Maine. Most lodgings in Maine and New Hampshire did not accommodate Black guests.

Explore Rock Rest
A stone boulder with [Rock Rest] hand-painted on it with white paint.