Greyhound America
Greyhound America: Traveling in the Shadow of the Country
Traveling by land in the United States means traveling with the poor. At bus stations around the country black, white, brown and mostly poor passengers, wait in long lines with bags under their eyes and arms. The bus rides are long, uncomfortable and almost always crowded. Passengers on the Greyhound are not on vacation; they are in transition. When old problems make new environments a necessity, the bus is transportation between one life and another.
For long stretches of time, passengers are forced into seats next to people they would never socialize with at home. Ex-cons sit next to Mennonite children, and black men sit next to white men. During the course of the trip relationships begin to form; older women protect girls traveling alone and men form smoking circles. People find something in common and spend the rest of the trip speaking of subjects they all relate to, money, work and the future.
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