Woodbine Cottage, Lake George NY
“Modern hotel, air conditioned, television, good food, variety of amusement sports. Protection for the Negro traveler. Contact Samuel ‘Pinky’ McFerson and his wife Dorothy (proprietors).”
Protection for the Negro traveler? In Lake George, a resort situated in the Adirondacks, a rural region where many visit each summer to get away from it all? The Woodbine Cottage was included in The Traveler’s Green Book (1963-1964 edition). This book, which listed restaurants, gas stations, theaters, bars, and hotels, was referred to as the “Bible of Black Travelers.” So if you were Black and planning on taking a vacation at Lake George in the 60s, the Woodbine Cottage was one place where you could be pretty sure of a safe stay without aggravation.
Many vacationers, even today, don’t have the luxury of going anywhere and leaving their stress and problems behind. In Souls of Black Folk (1903), the eminent black scholar W. E. B. Du Bois addressed the critical importance of something Blacks have historically done for survival when they hit the road or take a vacation. They step outside of themselves, constantly. Du Bois refers to double consciousness as someone’s awareness of his or her own perspective and the perspective of others. Double consciousness allowed Black and other racial and ethnic minorities to be as safe as possible.
For instance, Roberto, a Latino, talks about his father taking road trips in the Color of Fear. “When my father hit Texas, he never stopped. He went straight through Texas. I mean he must have stopped for food. I can’t believe that – I don’t ever remember stopping. I know we didn’t stop to sleep. I mean he wanted to get out of that state as fast as he could.”
While Roberto’s father lived in another era, many minorities today still know they can’t just head out with no specific plan in mind. Forget about getting away from it all. One black traveler’s double consciousness helps her plan. For example, which towns her family should avoid, or at the very least drive through without stopping; when to use a credit card to buy gas so they can avoid person-to-person contact; and where it’s safe to spend the night. Spontaneity and fun detours give way to meticulous planning. For many, going it “alone” gives way to letting people know where you are each step of the way. Long meandering trips give way to shorter trips where you have a better feel for what you might encounter. And for some, relaxation, feeling like you belong, avoiding stress and leaving one’s worries at home is still a luxury.
Victor Green, the author of the Traveler’s Green Book, included a brief section, “Your Rights.” One of those rights was being able to go on a “vacation without aggravation.” In the 1948 edition of the Book, he wrote, “There will be a day sometime in the near future when this guide will not have to be published.” After more than seven decades, that day is still not here.
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