Candacy Taylor

Candacy Taylor is an author, photographer and cultural documentarian. Her work has been featured in over 50 media outlets including the New Yorker and The Atlantic. Published from 1936 to 1966, the Green Book was hailed as the “black travel guide to America.” At that time, it was very dangerous and difficult for African-Americans to travel because black travelers couldn’t eat, sleep, or buy gas at most white-owned businesses. The Green Book listed hotels, restaurants, gas stations, and other businesses that were safe for black travelers. It was a resourceful and innovative solution to a horrific problem. It took courage to be listed in the Green Book, and Taylor’s Overground Railroad: The Green Book & Roots of Black Travel in America  (Harry N. Abrams) celebrates the stories of those who put their names in the book and stood up against segregation. Brent Leggs, Executive Director, African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund “With passion, conviction, and clarity, Taylor’s book unearths a fascinating and true—if not willfully obscured—history of African American activism and entrepreneurship in the United States. This remarkable study broadens our understanding of black life, leisure, and struggles for equality in twentieth-century America”