Green Book Omaha

  • In June 2023, 17 Omaha Public School rising 9th graders, four social studies teachers, and two college students learned about the Green Book, a guide produced for African Americans listing places where they were welcomed when traveling from the late 1930s through the mid-1960s. By 1962, it is estimated that 2 million people were using the Green Book to travel. 

    Omaha had 30 Green Book sites. Twenty-six were located on Omaha's Near North Side, three lined Q Street from 25th to 27th Street and one was on 11th Street just steps away from the Burlington and Union Train Stations. They included a mix of hotels and tourist homes, service stations, drug stores, taverns, and even a tailor. Through oral interviews with Green Book scholars and community elders, field trips to the sites, and research in local archives, the participants mapped and shared information about each one. 

    The group uncovered that Omaha's Green Book sites were unique. While in other cities a large majority of the Green Book sites were owned by African Americans, in Omaha census records showed the properties were owned by a mix of African Americans (60%), Jewish, Czech, Danish, Yugoslavian, and Irish immigrants. 

    While scholars estimate that 20% of the Green Book sites are still standing, Omaha has 36% that still exist. While none of the original Green Book sites serve the same purpose as they did in the 1940s and 1950s, the properties have taken on other uses. 

    To learn more about the project and each of Omaha's Green Book sites, scroll below. 

     

    A map pinpointing Omaha's Green Book sites. Click on the double arrows, top left, for a key to the sites. Use the + and - arrows to zoom in and out and locate specific properties using the search bar. 

     

      Project Resources