GREENSBORO, N.C. — The Historic Magnolia House is offering free self-guided tours in celebration of Black History Month.
You can view exhibits surrounding Black history and culture. That includes the Magnolia House history exhibit. UNC-Greensboro graduate students created the exhibit in the Fall.
You can also view the North Carolina African American Heritage Commission's Oasis Spaces exhibit. It's centered around The Green Book, which acted as a travel guide for Blacks not welcomed in white-only hotels, restaurants, and other establishments during the Jim Crow-era.
The Historic Magnolia House is one of four "Green Book" sites still in operation in North Carolina. It provided safe housing for some of the most well-known African Americans during segregation, such as James Brown, Ray Charles, Ike and Tina Turner, Jackie Robinson, and many more.
You can also participate in Magnolia's "Shoebox Lunch Educational Program." Black women prepared shoe box meals to keep their families safe during America's segregation of restaurants and other places to eat. Meals generally included fried chicken, boiled or devilled eggs, fruit and vegetables, and pound cake.
“Whenever a Green Book traveler would get on the road, they would carry a shoebox lunch,” said Natalie Pass-Miller, owner of the Historic Magnolia House. “The shoebox lunch would protect them and keep them safe from having to stop somewhere that was not a Green Book site.”
As part of the program, all proceeds will go towards the "Magnolia House Foundation." The purpose of the foundation is to restore and maintain the structure and operation of the historic motel.
“We're hoping it allows the opportunity for families at home to take these lunches and start conversations,” Pass-Miller said. “Parents, have the kids start asking questions. Little questions can start a much bigger conversation.”
You can learn more about Black history and culture during the self-guided tours. The Historic Magnolia House is offering free tours, in February, every Thursday, Friday, and Saturday from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. The historic motel is located at 442 Gorrell Street in Greensboro.
Visit the Historic Magnolia House website to learn more about how you can support its mission and ongoing efforts to keep Black history and culture in the forefront.