Black History Month: Trouble on Route 40

101 Governors Place,Bear DE 19701

12 February, 2022

Description

African decolonization, Jim Crow, and the Cold War collided on the busy highway in the early 1960's. This program puts the spotlight on Route 40 when it was at the forefront of international tensions as the Cold War heated up in the early 1960s. On the busy highway between Baltimore and the Delaware Memorial Bridge, Jim Crow, African Decolonization, the Soviet Union, Cuba, and the Kennedy Administrations collided as diplomats from newly decolonized African nations shuttled back and forth between the United Nations and Washington, D.C. As the global situation deteriorated, African envoys were humiliated by Jim Crow when establishments refused to serve them. The Soviet Union and Cuba leveraged this to strengthen their relationship as President Kennedy put pressure on Delaware and Maryland truck stops, restaurants, gas stations, and motels to serve them. This event is free to the public Please register at https://delawarelibraries.libcal.com/event/8539062