A documentary about Black musicians' experience in segregated America will be shown for the third time in Aurora before going on the road.
"The Musicians’ Green Book" was shown at Waubonsie Community College and Aurora University. Josephine Beavers is a vocalist, film artist and the founder of Musicians’ Enduring Legacy Organization. She said this foundation's goal is to educate people about what the musicians of the Jim Crow Era went through.
“The gentleman and some of the musicians that you will see in the documentary, 'The Musicians Green Book,' they're actually still alive," she said. "They're performing, they’re legacy people, and they're still traveling and performing. And are you talking about resilience? And I think it's really the music that really keeps them going, keeps them alive.”
Beavers said the purpose of the documentary was to take a deep dive into the Green Book. This travel guide captured businesses that accepted Black people during the Jim Crow Era.
“The Chitlin' circuit made it safe for people to travel along with [The] Green Book," Beavers explained, "because The Green Book depicts these different venues that people could go to safely, you know, where they could sleep, they could eat, they could, you know, get their hair done, even.”
"The Musicians’ Green Book: An Enduring Legacy" exhibit and documentary will take place Saturday, May 31, at the Cathedral of Grace/St. John in Aurora. A live singing performance will also take place. The next stop will be at Buddy Guy’s in Chicago on June 18.
