During Jim Crow, black travelers frequently carried shoebox meals to stay safe when a Green Book site was not readily available. Although the Green Book provided safe places to eat, restaurants and safe places to stop could be few and far between. To keep their families safe, black women prepared shoe box meals. These meals frequently packaged in shoe boxes held foods that were less likely to spoil or require utensils. Meals generally included fried chicken, boiled or deviled eggs, fruit and vegetables, and pound cake.

While the Green Book and shoe box lunches became potent symbols of segregation and black resistance, they grew obsolete as African Americans secured civil rights in the 1960s. Nevertheless, they reflect the ingenuity and creativity black Americans used to survive in an oppressive society.