5 The Green Book relied on the input of its readers for accuracy and currency
Victor Green wrote the first edition of the Green Book largely based on his own experience and observations within the New York metropolitan area it covered. As it expanded into national editions (and eventually to Mexico and the Caribbean) he relied on the input of its readers to provide him with descriptions of businesses which served Black customers. Readers who sent him reports of their own experiences, both good and bad, while traveling were paid one dollar at first. In 1941 he increased the payment to $5. He not only requested information regarding accommodations but also interesting stops and sites along the routes which welcomed the Black travelers and their families.
Green also used his connections with the Postal Service, of which he was an employee for some time, and which was then one of the largest employers of Blacks in the United States. Postal employees were queried about the areas in which they lived, and the information was compiled by Green at his Harlem office for publication in upcoming editions of the Green Book. Green’s primary goal with each edition was to provide up-to-date and accurate information to travelers, particularly in the dangerous regions of the Jim Crow south, as more and more Black Americans left southern farms and small towns for employment in the nation’s growing industrial base.