How one entrepreneur updated a Civil Rights-era survival guide for the 21st century
Cover photo: Georgia de Lotz / Unsplash
From 1936 to 1966, "The Negro Motorist Green Book" was a lifeline. Published by Victor Hugo Green, it listed the hotels, restaurants, gas stations and other businesses that would serve Black travelers during Jim Crow, when being Black in the wrong place could be deadly.
What is the ABC Travel Greenbook? It's Martinique Lewis's modern take on Victor Hugo Green's Green Book: a digital guide that helps Black travelers find welcoming destinations, businesses and experiences around the world, with safety information, business listings, community reviews, and resources on topics like traveling with natural hair.
Key facts
- The original: "The Negro Motorist Green Book," published by Victor Hugo Green from 1936 to 1966.
- The modern version: the ABC Travel Greenbook, founded by Martinique Lewis.
- What's inside: destination guides, Black-welcoming business listings, community reviews and practical resources.
- Her wider work: speaking at conferences, consulting with tourism boards and pushing the industry toward real diversity.
Decades later, Martinique Lewis saw that the need for that kind of guide hadn't disappeared. It had changed shape.
The Modern Problem
Legal segregation ended, but the challenges for Black travelers didn't vanish. From microaggressions at luxury hotels to researching whether a destination is safe for Black visitors, travel still asks for preparation that white travelers rarely think about.
Lewis understood this firsthand. As a frequent traveler, she felt both the subtle and the obvious ways Black travelers are made to feel unwelcome, and she decided to do something about it.
Building the New Green Book
Photo: Cathryn Lavery / Unsplash
The ABC Travel Greenbook launched as a digital platform built for now. It features:
- Destination guides with safety information for Black travelers
- Business listings of hotels, restaurants and tour operators that actively welcome Black guests
- Community reviews from Black travelers sharing their experiences
- Resources on everything from traveling with natural hair to visiting countries with different racial dynamics
Lewis also became a leading voice in the travel industry, advocating for diversity in hospitality and tourism. She speaks at conferences, consults with tourism boards, and pushes for change at the level of the system.
The Legacy of Victor Hugo Green
Photo: Victor H. Green & Co., 1947. New York Public Library, public domain
By naming her organization after the original Green Book, Lewis ties her work directly to a Civil Rights-era tradition. Victor Hugo Green didn't make his guide because he accepted segregation. He made it as a practical tool for survival and dignity.
Lewis carries the same spirit. She doesn't accept that Black travelers should face hostile places alone, and by sharing information and building community, she makes sure the lessons of the past shape the trips of the future.
Why This Matters Now
Photo: Simone Santos (@sithevision) for Caviar in the Air
Some argue a modern Green Book shouldn't be necessary. The reality is that Black travelers still face particular challenges, from profiling by hotel staff to hate crimes in certain destinations. Good information can be the difference between a transformative trip and a traumatic one.
Her work also pushes the industry to do better. When businesses see that being included in, or left out of, Black travel resources affects their bottom line, they have a reason to change. It's the same reason we vet every hotel on trips like our Senegal trip for how it treats our travelers.
What Martinique Teaches Us
Advocacy and entrepreneurship work together. By building a business that serves Black travelers, Martinique Lewis is also building a movement that asks for better treatment for all of us.
We never travel only for ourselves. We travel as part of a community, and what we share helps everyone who comes after us. For more founders building that community, read about Zim Flores and Travel Noire and Cherae Robinson's Tastemakers Africa.
Martinique Lewis is building the guide we need. Learn about Martinique and other Black history pioneers, then explore our upcoming trips to destinations chosen for travelers who expect excellence.
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