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Parallel Road demonstrates the inherent cracks in the American Dream

The cliche of the American Dream – the road trips, expansive highways, motels, neon lights – is a dream for a reason, in that it's not entirely real. That well-worn image beloved by writers and artists alike never touches on the complexities of things like democracy and race.

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A person with dark curly hair sits alone in a dimly lit car interior, gazing pensively out the window in moody, warm-toned lighting

With the big ol' road trip being a key component of that American Dream, it would be remiss not to consider that being behind the wheel is something that should be innocuous, but just isn't unless you're white, as has been proven time and again, being black and driving a car in America (and elsewhere, for that matter), can be pretty dangerous.

Recently published photography book A Parallel Road by Amani Willett explores the complexities of the American road trip, examining how race can and continues to affect this experience.

"The open road is where millions of Americans freely set out to explore the country's beauty, epic landscapes, and diversity of cultures," says publisher Overlapse. "For a country that claims to be a free and democratic land without roadblocks, the road trip has been and continues to be a fraught endeavour for black people."

Black and white photograph of a person sitting in a car's front seat, viewed through the windscreen with bare tree branches visible across the glass
Black and white photograph of a woman looking directly at camera while sitting in a car, shot through the windscreen

Willett has been working on A Parallel Road for five years and was inspired to do so by conversations with friends and relatives about their experiences on the road. A huge impetus for the project was Willett's aim to understand his family's experiences – to find out what the road represents for them as Black Americans.

The images are drawn together in the final book present an exposition of the cracks in that American dream. By looking at the black experience of driving in America over the past 85 years, Willett's work demonstrates that historically, as today, the road represents a collective site of trauma for the black community. It’s a site that doesn't mark the route to better things but delineates a place pockmarked with fear, violence and death.

Willett's A Parallel Road references the historical Negro Motorist Green Book, an annual guidebook for African-American road-trippers published by African-American New York City mailman Victor Hugo Green from 1936 to 1966. A Parallel Road's cover design, with its simple holding device and typographic approach, imitates the green book. Simultaneously, the overall aim of Willett's project continues the idea of presenting the proposition that journeys and roads are not the same for everyone.

Sepia-toned vintage photograph of people beside an old car, displayed on the dashboard of a modern vehicle
Unpaved dirt road stretching through rural farmland with mature trees lining both sides and open fields under a clear blue sky
Weathered white car door with rust damage near the wheel arch, scratches and red marks on the surface, and a silver alloy wheel visible below
Cracked windscreen with white fractured lines radiating across turquoise-tinted glass, with dark debris visible beneath the damage
Suburban street at dusk with bare tree silhouetted against a vibrant orange and pink sunset sky, street lamp glowing, houses and parked car visible in fading light
Vintage landscape with tall pine trees overlaid with a small black and white photograph of people visible through a car window
Left: black and white photograph of a man leaning against a vintage car; Right: cover of The Negro Motorist Green-Book, a historical travel guide for Black travellers, featuring a green cover with decorative borders
A brown car with its door open sits on a dark road at night, with yellow road markings and scattered lights visible in the background
Rain streaking across car headlights at night in a dark atmospheric scene
A woman stands beside a silver car with the door open on a parking lot at dusk, with a street lamp illuminated in the background.
A weathered wooden sign reads "Stranger Dont Let the Sun Go Down On You Here" against a desert landscape, warning of racial danger on American roads
Collage of five vintage black and white and colour photographs arranged on a road map, showing people posing with cars from mid-20th century America
Close-up of weathered concrete blocks and metal fixtures on an exterior wall, showing texture and aging in monochrome
Collage of black and white photographs showing groups of people in and around cars, arranged on a vintage road map with red lines marking routes
Aerial view of a highway interchange with red earth and scattered vegetation showing the infrastructure of American roads
Book cover for A Parallel Road by Amani Willett, featuring a yellow background with a red vertical stripe and a decorative black-outlined badge in the centre
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