Members of Cadence Bank’s BELONG (Black Employees Learning, Optimizing, Networking, Growing) employee resource group (ERG) attended the opening party and private viewing of the Smithsonian Institution’s historically significant exhibit, The Negro Motorist Green Book, which runs locally through the Thanksgiving holiday.

It brings to life the popular travel guide started in 1936 by Harlem postal worker Victor Green, which served as a lifeline for African American travelers driving around the U.S. during the era of Jim Crow and segregation. The immersive experience includes artifacts like business signs, postcards, and film footage as well as firsthand accounts that convey the apprehension felt by African American travelers, and their strong resilience to the limitations created by society during that time.

The exhibit is an immersive experience and includes original objects from Green Book businesses, as well as historical and contemporary images of Green Book sites.

“I felt like I was transported to a time when automobile travel symbolized freedom. But, if you were Black and embraced the idea of the American road trip, you had to have bravery and a Green Book to cross the country safely,” said Jasmine Shadding, director of diversity, equity and inclusion operations and member of BELONG. “I learned about the harsh reality of travel for Black people, but also about the glorious parallel world of African American-friendly businesses that supported exploration for everyone,” she added.

BELONG members were treated to a presentation from the exhibit’s curator and collaborator, Candacy Taylor. Taylor is an author, photographer and cultural documentarian who logged more than half a million miles traveling to 4,000 Green Book sites and photographing 200 of them specially for the exhibit.

"Cultural change occurs when awareness, conversation, and understanding happens"

Jerrell Moore

“Cultural change occurs when awareness, conversation, and understanding happens,” said Jerrell Moore, Cadence Bank’s chief diversity officer. “Through relationships with The Smithsonian Institution and Holocaust Museum Houston, our helping to bring the Green Book traveling exhibit to Houston and sharing it with BELONG ERG teammates are just some of the ways we’re living our inclusivity core value and creating positive change in the communities we serve.”

To learn more about Cadence Bank’s initiatives, visit or Diversity, Equity and Inclusion page.

Additional Resources

• Visit online at the Smithsonian Institution.
• Learn more about  Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging at Cadence.

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