Exploring the History, Literature, and Culture of the Tar Heel State
“[Louis Armstrong] did get a burst of publicity when Artists and Models was released [in 1937], featuring a blacked-up Martha Raye…. To the surprise of no one, their scene proved to be quite controversial….
“The Theatre Owners of North Carolina and South Carolina Inc. objected to what they described as ‘the appearance of Negroes in movie scenes with white persons on equal social basis….'”
— From “Heart Full of Rhythm: The Big Band Years of Louis Armstrong” by Ricky Riccardi (2020)
— At last, Revenge is ours (or not). Including Blackbeard’s artisanal arsenal.
— eBay eye-catchers: a medal of Lost Cause honor and a poster for Louis Armstrong at Carmichael Auditorium.
— What exactly is a Confederate monument? And what should Reidsville do with the one that lost its kepied head to a reckless driver?
A revival of attention to “The Negro Motorist Green Book: An International Travel Guide” (1936-1964) roused my curiosity about what places in North Carolina welcomed black travelers under Jim Crow.
It isn’t long, but the list in the 1949 edition includes some evocative names: the Carver, Lincoln and Booker T. Washington hotels; the Friendly City beauty parlor; the Black Beauty Tea Room; the New Progressive tailor shop; the Big Buster tavern and Blue Duck Inn.
Also mentioned is the Alexander Hotel in Charlotte, where such prominent figures as W.E.B. Du Bois and Louis Armstrong stayed before the Civil Rights Act of 1964 required that public accommodations be public.