The automobile supported travel for Black Americans
in private, comfortable circumstances. But it also
required new thinking and habits, which included
very particular criteria in selecting a car.
Selecting the perfect car is a challenge for every
American family, but the calculus was far different
for Black Americans. Black buying power, vehicle
selection, and even driving practices were all sharply
determined by discrimination. Black families had
very specific needs that would never occur to white
Americans.
Horsepower and size mattered, not for showing off
but for giving Black American drivers the ability to
escape from being stopped or harassed by white citi-
zens eager to take the law into their own hands.
For example, NAACP Field Secretary Medgar Evers
selected the large, imposing Oldsmobile Rocket 88 for
his excursions—not only for its power to avoid ambush
and getting pushed off the road but also because his
6-foot-4 frame could stretch out on its wide seats to
sleep, if necessary. (He certainly was not welcome at
most hotels.)
Black families of the era exhibited a fondness for
large, roomy, reliable Buicks. A Buick was not inex-
pensive; at the time, in fact, it ranked among the most
prestigious brands. In 1946, a Roadmaster, one of the
costliest Buick models, had a list price of $2,110. Of
course, many Black families drove Fords or Chevys,
the most economical choices. “Compact cars do not
have as much appeal to Negroes as they do in the
general market,” commented an article in The Chicago
Defender. However, the belief that Negroes bought
flashy cars was an invidious stereotype; Black Amer-
icans purchased Cadillacs in the same proportion as
white Americans—3 percent.
Black drivers also preferred big cars to transport
supplies that white travelers might never consider
carrying; the hazards of the road resulted in drivers
stocking their cars liberally with provisions to drive
straight through to a destination, only stopping as
necessary for gasoline. Blankets and pillows might
be needed for sleeping in the car. Sheets could serve
as privacy partitions. Baskets overflowed withsandwiches and jugs of water and iced tea—because
even the restaurants that deigned to serve Black
Americans often made them wait out back or served
them tainted or spoiled food.
Drivers carried extra water for the radiator and
sometimes a can of gasoline, in case they could not find
a service station that would serve Black travelers. Extra
fan belts and a can or two of oil might also be carried.
Lots of maps and guides outlining routes through the
countryside precluded the need to ask for directions.Hampton House
in Miami, Florida,
featured 50
elegant rooms
and a tropical
courtyard,
enabling the
Black middle
class to enjoy
the same luxury
accommodations
that attracted
white tourists.
Above: Motels sprang up to serve Black tourists that hotels
would not host. Below, the author as a child (at right).SEPTEMBER 2020 MOTORTREND.COM 65