Are we there yet" In 1946, the songwriter Bobby Troup penned ?Route 66,? cementing the Great American Road Trip into American mythology. The song was based on an actual cross-country trip he and his wife (who were both white) took, and he framed their journey as one of adventure and excitement. He invited listeners to ?get your kicks on Route 66.?

Public access via the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Jean Blackwell Hutson Research and Reference Division, New York Public Library
From 1936 to 1967, Victor Hugo Green published his guide for black travelers. This is a 1956 edition.

Nat King Cole was the first to record the song and the great irony is that while the jazz legend helped romanticize the highway, it was incredibly dangerous for him: Route 66 snaked through cities and towns that were hostile and often violent toward black travelers. However, touring musicians, like Cole, and other travelers had a secret weapon to bypass racist towns, restaurants, motels, gas stations, and other businesses across the country: The Negro Motorist Green Book, a guide to establishments that were safe for and welcoming to African Americans.
Last year, the Brooklyn-based artist Derrick Adams came across a copy of the Green Book and decided to create an exhibition about it. Now on view at the Museum of Arts and Design (MAD) in New York City, ?Derrick Adams: Sanctuary? investigates the book as both an artifact of Jim Crow America and a...