Candacy Taylor Speaking Topics

• OVERGROUND RAILROAD: THE GREEN BOOK & THE ROOTS OF BLACK TRAVEL IN AMERICA

  Taylor is the author of "Overground Railroad" and the nation’s foremost expert on the Green Book—the travel guide that helped Black Americans navigate the dangers of segregation during the Jim Crow era. More than a safety tool, the Green Book also served as a powerful engine of Black entrepreneurship, promoting thousands of Black-owned businesses and fostering economic independence.

  Through more than a decade of research, Taylor has cataloged nearly 11,000 Green Book listings, traveled to approximately 7,000 sites across 48 states, and photographed nearly 300 of them. We’ve lost nearly 80% of these businesses, and less than 5% are still operating, so her speaking engagements reveal the scale of this hidden network while also highlighting those that remain.

  A compelling storyteller, Taylor brings this history to life through a dynamic blend of archival imagery, personal narrative, field research, and cultural analysis. Her talks explore the broader story of Black mobility in America, connecting the Green Book to themes of migration, segregation, redlining, urban renewal, and the rise of the Black leisure class.

  Taylor also shines a light on the often-overlooked role of Black women entrepreneurs—many of whom operated Green Book businesses at a time when women were denied credit cards, bank accounts, and insurance. In addition, her research on more than 1,000 sundown towns across the United States offers critical insight into how historical patterns of exclusion continue to shape present-day inequities in housing, education, and criminal justice.

  Known for her engaging and thought-provoking presentations, Taylor frequently incorporates localized research to connect national history with the lived experiences of her audiences, sparking meaningful dialogue and deeper understanding.

• COUNTER CULTURE: THE AMERICAN DINER WAITRESS

  Candacy Taylor is the author of "Counter Culture: The American Coffee Shop Waitress," which highlights a resilient group of diner waitresses ages 50 to 84. These hardworking women have long rushed to our tables, bringing meaning, comfort, and culture to the American roadside dining experience.

  Taylor interviewed and photographed waitresses, all aged 50 and older, in 43 U.S. cities. Some have worked in the same diners for up to 60 years. She initially expected to find women who felt overworked and underappreciated. Instead, she discovered role models of healthy aging. These career waitresses describe their work as deeply rewarding—it keeps them physically active, mentally sharp, and closely connected to their communities through relationships with regular customers.

  Her talk features audio clips of their candid, eye-opening commentary, challenges common myths about women, work, and aging, and explores why they take such pride in their honorable profession.

• THE ROOTS OF ROUTE 66

  Taylor authored a "Moon Travel Guide on Route 66," chronicling the transformations along the historic Mother Road over the last century. During its heyday, nearly half of the counties along Route 66 were sundown towns, barring Black people from being there after dark. This talk critically explores the tension between our nostalgic reimagining of the postwar “happy days” and the highway’s celebrated past—a past often idealized yet fundamentally unattainable for many. By examining both the cultural mythology and the historical realities of Route 66, we confront the gulf between memory, myth, and lived experience.

• AMERICAN ROOTS: BEAUTY SHOP CULTURE ACROSS AMERICA

  This talk delves into the complex relationship between Americans and their hair, illuminating the ways in which personal identity, culture, and community intersect in salon spaces. By examining an institution deeply rooted in rituals as varied as the nation itself, it offers a rare glimpse behind the curtain of salon culture. Beauty shops, shaped by the diverse textures of hair and the specialized skills required to care for it, remain among the most racially and culturally segregated businesses in the United States. Contributing factors include not only hair type but also language, cultural traditions, and the desire to cultivate intimate spaces where patrons can express their identities with comfort and authenticity.

  In pursuit of these stories, Taylor traveled over 26,000 miles across the country, conducting in-depth interviews with stylists who serve African American, Appalachian, Cajun, Dominican, Gullah-Geechee, Jamaican, Japanese, Orthodox Jewish, Pakistani, and LGBTQ+ communities. Through these conversations, the talk reveals the beauty shop as more than a place for grooming—it is a vibrant cultural hub, a space for storytelling, and a site where community and heritage are preserved and celebrated.

• BY THE HORNS: FEMALE BULLFIGHTERS

  After being tossed into the air by a 700-pound bull, trampled, and then gored in the stomach, bullfighter Cristina Sánchez said, “I can’t wait to get back in the ring. To be in front of a bull is a feeling so intense it can’t be described. Outside the ring, I am a normal, shy girl. But in the ring, I am transformed. I’m not a girl anymore—I am a bullfighter.”

  This talk explores the struggles and triumphs of a fascinating subculture of women who have been performing with bulls since 2000 B.C. It highlights bloodless bullfights along Texas border towns and in central California. Rather than taking a position on the ethics of bullfighting, it focuses on the cultural and symbolic significance of women gaining access to—and establishing a powerful presence in—this traditionally machismo-dominated arena.

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