Wichita woman shares connection with Oscar-nominated film, Green Book

A Wichita woman has a personal connection with the Oscar nominated movie "Green Book".

The Green Book was a guide for African Americans to use while traveling.

Jo Brown recalls what it was like living in segregation. She says it required her and her family to always be a step ahead.

"Sometimes, discrimination made you use your brain," Brown said. "Things have always required ingenuity."

It was that attitude that made her husband turn to the Green Book to plan their honeymoon in 1950.

The Green Book helped African Americans know where they could travel without facing discrimination.

The book's author, Victor Green started the annual publication in 1936. It went on for 30 years.

Now, the story has been recreated in a 2018 film, which is up for best picture at the Oscars.

Brown says she didn't know why her husband wanted the book at the time but says his reasons are clear now.

"It was the idea not to be embarrassed or hurt or refused so the Green Book helped us," Brown said.

The pair spent eleven nights in Atlantic City staying in a hotel they had found in the book.

The Green Book had listings in Wichita that were considered safe for people of color. The Lassen Hotel, which is now The Market Center, is the only remaining building from The Green Book in Wichita.

Brown says the story of The Green Book is one that should be shared. She says she's seen the movie several times, and says the message in it is important.