California's Napa Valley is now being called one of those places where no black people are allowed to have fun. The Napa Valley Wine Train takes passengers 18 miles through California's wine Country, from Napa to St. Helena -- with wine tasting provided along the way. Last weekend, 11 members of a mostly African-American book club called Sistahs on the Reading Edge were escorted off the train by police officers after other passengers complained they were making too much noise. The women say they were asked to leave because they were "laughing while black." Danielle Belton is associate editor at The Root, an online magazine that covers black culture.
Napa Valley Wine Train
Photo: Drew Jacksich
Passengers on the Napa Valley Wine Train, 2011
Photo: Jim G