Driving While Black: Race, Space, and Mobility in America

The advent of the automobile offered a newfound sense of freedom to Black travelers while further exposing them to discrimination and violence on the road. In a special conversation highlighted by film clips from the 2020 documentary Driving While Black, an esteemed panel explores how the car transformed the Black experience in the early-to-mid-20th century—with a particular focus on the last four decades of Jim Crow—and the historical context for the systemic racism that persists to this day.