Fact vs Fiction: The Green Book at Kalamazoo Institute of Arts

The Hollywood movie is a buddy picture. In real life, the Green Book helped African-Americans find friends while traveling. See the Smithsonian documentary at KIA.

"When a bouncer from an Italian-American neighborhood in the Bronx is hired to drive a world-class Black pianist on a concert tour from Manhattan to the Deep South, they must rely on 'The Green Book' to guide them to the few establishments that were then safe for African-Americans." That is the pitch for the Hollywood movie, a story of two unlikely friends that, "confronted with racism, danger—as well as unexpected humanity and humor—they are forced to set aside differences to survive and thrive on the journey of a lifetime." Inspired by a true story, The Green Book grossed $300+ Million and garnered thee Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Screenplay.

Learn what it was really like for African-Americans in the Deep South during segregation as Kalamazoo Institute of Arts presents a screening of the Smithsonian documentary film The Green Book: Guide to Freedom. Published by Victor Green, a Black postal carrier from Harlem, the book was part travel guide and part survival guide, officially called The Negro Motorist Green Book. Learn about some of the safe havens and "sundown towns," where Black people were prohibited from being out after dark. Historian Jamon Jordan, featured in the film, will be in town from Detroit for a discussion after the screening at KIA.

• The Green Book: Guide to Freedom
• Thursday, Feb 13 | 6:30-8 pm
• Kalamazoo Institute of Arts
• Free with $5 KIA admission