Description
Prior to the civil rights era, throughout the urban North, most white-owned hotels refused to allow black patrons to stay in their rooms. Black-owned hotels in segregated African American neighborhoods, like the Patton Hotel in Omaha, provided important accommodations for black musicians and other travelers when they came through the city. Some musicians would later reminisce about the “jam sessions” that took place at these African American hotels and the sense of “togetherness” they felt when they stayed there.