Pittsburgh Exhibits Personify the Black Travel Experience

Like many Pittsburgh kids, my sister and I looked forward to family trips to Kennywood, Idlewild and Hershey Park, as well as travel to our favorite Aunt's home in Atlanta and later Washington, D.C. Yet, as young Black kids, we were blissfully unaware that our summer travels were part of a more profound legacy that underlined how movement itself was an expression of freedom for Black Americans.

Those days feel like a fever dream now. After a long day at Kennywood, I’m no longer the kid clinging to consciousness to plead my case for an ice cream cone from Page's Dairy Mart. Instead, I’ve grown into a Black woman who extensively travels the world, exploring the intricate connection between food and travel and how they can be thoughtfully curated to benefit local communities. Through personal experiences and academic study, I have come to recognize the immense significance of Black food and travel as catalysts for liberation, empowerment and the vibrant celebration of Black culture, even in the face of oppressive circumstances both historically and today.

This summer, I invite you to join me in uncovering the stories of resilience, empowerment and celebration that lie within the folds of our city's history by embarking on a trip to three extraordinary exhibits in Pittsburgh: 820 Gallery's hosting of the cinematic VR experience of the documentary Traveling While Black; The Negro Motorist Green Book at the Senator John Heinz History Center; and The Frick's Pittsburgh and the Great Migration: Black Mobility and the Automobile.

My journey began with a trip to Downtown Pittsburgh's vibrant Cultural District. The curatorial exhibition space of 820 Gallery is outfitted to mimic the inside of Washington, D.C.'s renowned Ben's Chili Bowl restaurant – the backdrop of the documentary Traveling While Black. Through virtual reality, the documentary provides an immersive experience that gives viewers a seat at the table of intimate storytelling moments in the iconic restaurant.

After assembling my VR headset, I'm transported to a table in a packed Ben's Chili Bowl. Throughout the short film, I listen as patrons across generations contemplate their experiences with restricted movement, surveilled leisure and race relations in the United States. I emerge from the virtual world back to reality, grounded in the bittersweet moments. I’m left inspired by how Virginia Ali, owner, and co-founder of Ben's Chili Bowl, ensured her space was a sanctuary for Black Washingtonians and visitors to find community and a good meal despite Jim Crow laws. The exhibit ends on Sept. 24 and is the perfect first stop and introduction to Victor Hugo Green, postal worker, entrepreneur and creator of one the most famous Black travel guides to exist.

Less than a half-mile away is the Senator John Heinz History Center. From now until Aug. 13, their exhibit The Negro Motorist Green Book provides a deep dive into the broad history of Victor Hugo Green's publication and Pittsburgh's role in being a safe haven for Black travelers. The Green Book has returned to the cultural fold after films like "The Green Book" (2018) starring Mahershala Ali and TV shows like "Lovecraft Country" (2020) became available to the masses.

Produced nationwide from 1936 until the late 1960s, it aided Black families in safe travel across America and throughout 30 countries in Africa, Europe and the Caribbean. Distributed in America through what's now known as ExxonMobil, the book amplified restaurants, gas stations, stores, churches and other businesses that welcomed Black travelers. The Negro Motorist Green Book exhibit articulates how the interconnectedness of Black communities across America helped curate an indispensable resource that afforded Black travelers sanctuary and guidance within the travel industry.

The exhibit also addresses how the automobile provided autonomy and safety for Black families who could afford them. It highlights how freedom and terror exist simultaneously for Black travelers on the American road. Speaking to how Jim Crow Laws influenced one of the most significant movements of Black people in U.S. History, we begin to understand how the Great Migration shaped cities like Harlem, Chicago and our beloved Pittsburgh. It reminds me of my grandmother, the youngest daughter of John H. King and Hattie Mae Lamar’s eight children, who were born and raised in the Hill District's Sugar Top neighborhood after their parents left Upson County, Georgia, in the early 1900s. At 91, Hattie Mae Wynn still sits in the home her parents bought all those years ago, sharing stories of what the Hill District was before.

With the help of Charles "Teenie" Harris Archives, the "before" is highlighted throughout The Negro Motorist Green Book exhibit as most of the Pittsburgh stops in Victor Hugo's Green Book publication were situated in the city’s once thriving Black entertainment and food mecca, the Hill District. From Scotty's Service Station, the Hotel Webster Hall and Crawford Grill, the exhibit pays tribute to the 30+ Black businesses – hotels, car services, media groups, nightclubs, athletic centers and more – that served Black Pittsburghers and helped welcome tens of thousands of Black travelers. As the show suggests, many Black Hill District residents, like Hattie, came of age in a burgeoning community and have endured the devastating impact of urban renewal and the decimation of many of the Hill District’s community pillars, including access to food.

During my 20-minute drive to The Frick Pittsburgh, I'm nostalgic for those early days with my grandmother. While she never owned a car, services like Owl Cab Company, a Black-owned jitney service, often kept her on the go. For those like Hattie, these jitney services provided some freedom for Black Pittsburghers who Yellow Cab refused to serve. The automobile mobilized Black Americans into prosperity that manifested economically and socially. It was a prosperity that many capitalized on to resist oppression and self-actualize the freedom of movement we all deserve.

From now until Feb. 4, the vintage cars take center stage at The Frick's Pittsburgh and the Great Migration: Black Mobility and the Automobile exhibit. From Ford's 1914 Model T Touring to Pontiac's 1941 Souper Streamliner Torpedo 6 Sedan Coupe, the show explores how private car ownership enabled Black Americans to migrate from the South and build new lives here, where the three rivers meet. By discussing how the construction of interstate highways threatened Black neighborhoods across the country, the exhibit tells the complicated and nuanced story of the simultaneous desire to move and the hope to be planted. The exhibit is where my tour ends but where the real work begins.

For many Black Americans, travel and movement are freedom of expression - a manifestation of our right to exist beyond the confines enacted against us. These exhibits are an immersive reminder of travel's profound significance in building and sustaining Black communities and culture in the United States. They also invite us to celebrate and honor this resilience by ensuring we maintain a future where everyone can freely explore the world and their sense of belonging. May our journey through these exhibits inspire us to continue the work of empowerment, inclusivity and celebration in our communities by actively engaging in the rich legacy of these stories through the food, arts and culture here in the City of Bridges.

Safer travels and enriched experiences await us all.