This father's family road trip had been going just fine until racists tried to run them off the road.

No matter what, he promised himself, this would never happen again, so he decided to do something about it.

This is Two-Minute Black History, What You Didn't Learn in School.

Victor Hugo Green was tired.

Across the nation, our families were more affluent and finally traveling

a lot more, but for some of us, travel came at a horrible cost. White terrorism and racism

often kept many black people from staying at good hotels, eating at nice establishments,

or even getting gas. This inability to access basic services

was both inconvenient and dangerous. Green decided to take action.

Green was a traveler himself and he often kept a personal list of establishments that were safe

for black travelers. His idea was simple. He would collect this information across the nation

and make it available to black travelers. Green's work, known as the Green Book,

sold thousands of copies a year.

For decades, it made traveling easier for our people

and saved thousands of lives

because we could avoid the places

where white terrorism ran rampant.

Green used his skill set to help our people during a time of economic gain and violent white

reactions.

As his work shows, there is always a role for our creativity and care in our communities.

Sometimes we have to get innovative to defend ourselves against

races who would rather see us dead. In order to move towards the future, you've got to look to the past.

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