Green turns to gold, as the story is told about “The Green Traveling Book”. CBS Sunday Morning top story was about the Hollywood Foreign Press Association just awarding ‘The Green Book’ the Best Movie of the Year, in the comedy or musical category.
The movie is about a working class Italian American bouncer, who becomes the driver for a classic pianist, who happens to be an African American. They take a tour of the Jim Crow South in the 1960’s and learn something about themselves and the country.
The ‘Golden Globe’ recognizes excellence in film and television, both domestic and foreign and is awarded by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. The ‘Oscar Award’ is presented by the Academy of Motion Pictures and Sciences (AMPAS). The ‘SAG Award’ is presented by the Screen Actors Guild. It is only awarded to the actors.
Mahershala Ali, the African American, won the Best performance by an actor in the supporting role in a motion picture. The movie also won best screenplay for a motion picture.
The CBS story started off with Mary Wilson of the MOTOWN Supremes reminiscing about the early times she was a member of Motown’s traveling Bus Review. On the tour bus was Stevie Wonder, Mary Wells, and the Temptations and some other folks from Detroit. As a Detroit native I still remember going to the Motown Review at the Fox Theater when I was young. When I go older, I remember seeing the ‘Temptation Movie’ and the quick scene where bus was shot at, while stopped on the road.
The real reason behind the ‘Negro Motorist Green Book’ being published, was African Americans need safe places to stop as they traveled around the country. The first book was published in 1936 because of Jim Crow Laws. It was a guide for businesses that welcomed African American travelers.
In it heyday, ‘the Green Book’ sold two million copies. In the 1948 edition, Victor Green, the publisher wrote that someday in the future it would not be required. He didn’t live to see that day, but the last publication was in 1967 a few years after the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
History is not a mystery, it’s a story of what happened. But we should be able to learn from the past. I didn’t travel until I enlisted in the US Air Force in 1968. My first plane ride was to Lackland AFB in San Antonio Texas. Basic training is a shock to the system, the first problem I had was understanding that southern dialect but I learned real fast.
Being in the military exposed the world to me. I was always adventurous and never wanted to just stay on base. When I was stationed overseas I traveled when I could. Now when I reminisce, I count the countries, the continents, and the branches of the service: I’ve been to eight countries on three continents in two branches of the military. I traveled as an Air Force Sergeant and as an Army Officer. Both get a chance to travel but one has a little more money to spend.
H.G.M.
Hackett Global Marketing 