Pervasive Jim Crow Apartheid System in Public Life

Throughout the South in the 1920s and 1930s, segregation by law covered virtually all aspects of public life: separate water fountains, waiting rooms, restaurants, theaters, parks, beaches, hospitals, cemeteries, schools, jails, courtrooms (with separate Bibles for oath-taking), and even telephone booths. Beyond legal segregation, 'sundown towns' — communities where Black people faced arrest or violence if found after dark — existed throughout the North and Midwest. The Green Book, first published in 1936 by Victor Green, was a travel guide to establishments Black motorists could safely visit, reflecting the nationwide character of racial apartheid.