Family of Freedom: Presidents and African Americans in the White House

2014 is a milestone in African American history, marking 50 years since the passage of the Civil Rights Act, the establishment of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, and the run-up to the Voting Rights Act of 1965. In this book, longstanding White House correspondent Kenneth T. Walsh examines the intertwined relationships between US presidents and the African Americans who have been an integral part of the White House—certainly 50 years ago, but also going back all the way to the beginning of the Republic. The book opens with the slave-owning presidents, moves through emancipation under Abraham Lincoln, and includes the Jim Crow era and the civil-rights breakthroughs under Lyndon Johnson in concert with the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. It concludes with an insightful analysis of the presidency of Barack Obama, the first African American president, including Ken Walsh’s exclusive interview with Obama. As Obama’s second term in office proceeds, the story of racial relations—not just in the White House but in the country writ large—is more timely now than ever.

Watch Ken Walsh's interview on C-SPAN2 Book TV