By Sym Posey | The Birmingham Times
It all started with a Google Doc. In 2020, Theo Edwards-Butler created a list of Black-owned businesses for herself and to share with family and friends. That list would eventually grow into the Modern Green Book, a database now showcasing businesses not just in Birmingham but in states across the country and abroad.
A Louisville native and Samford University alum, Edwards-Butler expanded her impact by launching the MGB Marketplace at CityWalk BHAM.
“I kind of started it for selfish reasons because I enjoy shopping and eating, and I definitely enjoy buying Black and shopping Black-owned and supporting our people,” Edwards-Butler said.
The Modern Green Book is a contemporary spin on the original Negro Motorist Green Book, a historic guide that helped Black travelers navigate a segregated America by identifying businesses and spaces where they could find food, lodging, gas and safety.
More than six decades after the final edition of the original Green Book was published, Edwards-Butler is carrying its legacy into a new era.
“Where the original Green Book featured both Black-owned and allied-owned businesses, the Modern Green Book features Black-owned businesses so that everybody can go and intentionally support them, because we still need the support,” Edwards-Butler said.
Instead of helping Black travelers find safe places to stop along the road, The Modern Green Book helps consumers find Black-owned businesses to support intentionally.
The mission, however, remains rooted in the power of community.
That is part of what Edwards-Butler believes makes the modern version of the Green Book different from the original while still maintaining its spirit.
The History of the Negro Motorist Green Book
The original Green Book was created in 1936 by Victor Hugo Green, a postal worker from New York.
Green created the guide after experiencing the fear and uncertainty of traveling as a Black man.
His wife’s family was from Virginia, and the couple experienced the challenges that came with traveling between the North and South.
Green wanted to create a resource that would help Black travelers identify businesses and places where they could find comfort and safety.
The first edition included only a small number of businesses. Over time, the guide grew.
Green used his work as a postal service employee to gather information, and other postal workers helped identify additional businesses and locations.
The guide eventually expanded across the United States, into Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean. It included hotels, restaurants, gas stations and other businesses. It also provided information about areas where Black travelers needed to exercise caution.
In some cases, the Green Book warned travelers about sundown restrictions—communities, often known as sundown towns, where Black people were expected to leave by nightfall or risk harassment, arrest or even violence.
In others, it identified places where travelers could find a hot meal, a room or a safe place to stop.
“It was just all spaces and places where Black people could go for comfort and safety,” Edwards-Butler said.
The final edition of the Green Book was published in 1966, two years after the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
Intentional Investment
As legal segregation began to fall, the need for the guide appeared to diminish.
But Edwards-Butler believes the need for intentional support of Black businesses has never disappeared.
The threats may look different. The barriers may look different. But economic inequality remains. And so does the need to invest in Black communities intentionally. That is where The Modern Green Book comes in.
Although the original guide helped Black travelers find safe places to spend their money, the modern version is focused on directing those dollars toward Black-owned businesses.
The result is a platform that combines history with contemporary activism.
Edwards-Butler has also visited former Green Book locations, some of which remain active while others have fallen into disrepair.
Those visits have deepened her understanding of the guide’s history and the people who relied on it.
“I’ve gotten to meet a lot of people who are either users of the Green Book, or they own businesses within it,” she said.
She has also connected with museums and others working to preserve the legacy of the original Green Book.
Although she has not yet connected with Victor Hugo Green’s family, she hopes to one day speak with people who knew him or were connected to his work.
For now, Edwards-Butler is building her own chapter in that legacy.
The Modern Green Book’s website is currently undergoing a major rebuild.
Once the new website is complete, she plans to return her attention to the database and continue expanding the platform’s offerings.
In the meantime, The Modern Green Book Market, held on the last Saturday of each month from April through November at CityWalk BHAM, continues to create opportunities for businesses and shoppers.
