Family of Freedom

Barack Obama is the first African American President, but the history of African Americans in the White House long predates him. The building was built by slaves, and African Americans have worked in it ever since, from servants to advisors. In charting the history of African Americans in the White House, Kenneth T. Walsh illuminates the trajectory of racial progress in the US. He looks at Abraham Lincoln and his black seamstress and valet, debates between President Johnson and Martin Luther King over civil rights, and the role of black staff members under Nixon and Reagan. Family of Freedom gives a unique view of US history as seen through the experiences of African Americans in the White House.

Kenneth T. Walsh is one of the longest-serving White House correspondents in history and former president of the White House Correspondents' Association. He is an adjunct professorial lecturer of communication at American University in Washington, DC.

Acknowledgments Letter from Abraham Lincoln to Michael Hahn Chapter One: The Family of Freedom and the Arc of Racial History Chapter Two: The Slave-Owning Presidents Chapter Three: The Emancipator Chapter Four: Opportunity Lost Chapter Five: Jim Crow Chapter Six: Stirrings of Change Chapter Seven: A Few Shining Moments Chapter Eight: Camelot in Black and White Chapter Nine: The Breakthrough Chapter Ten: Mixed Results in a Conservative Era Chapter Eleven: Three Southern Presidents Chapter Twelve: The First Black President Chapter Thirteen: Charisma and Reality Notes Bibliography Index About the Author