<TitleType>01</TitleType> <TitleText>City Lights Open Media</TitleText>

City Lights Books transfers@onixsuite.com 20130918 eng

COM.ONIXSUITE.9780872865327 03 01 City Lights Books 01 GCOI 87286100744980 02 0872865320 03 9780872865327 15 9780872865327 BC <TitleType>01</TitleType> <TitleText>City Lights Open Media</TitleText> <TitleType>01</TitleType> <TitleText>The Black History of the White House</TitleText> <TitlePrefix>The</TitlePrefix> <TitleWithoutPrefix>Black History of the White House</TitleWithoutPrefix> 1 A01 Lusane, Clarence Clarence Lusane Dr. Clarence Lusane is an Associate Professor of Political Science in the School of International Service at American University where he teaches and researches on international human rights, comparative race relations, social movements and electoral politics. He is also an author, activist, scholar, lecturer, and journalist. For more than 30 years, he has written about and been active in national and international anti-racism politics, globalization, U.S. foreign policy, human rights and social issues such as education and drug policy. He has spent two years living in London conducting research on racism and human rights in Europe, and working with European institutions and NGOs. His previous books include Colin Powell and Condoleeza Rice: Foreign Policy, Race, and the New American Century; Hitler's Black Victims: The Experiences of Afro-Germans, Africans, Afro-Europeans and African Americans During the Nazi Era; Race in the Global Era: African Americans at the Millennium; No Easy Victories: A History of Black Elected Officials; African Americans at the Crossroads: The Restructuring of Black Leadership and the 1992 Elections; The Struggle for Equal Education; and Pipe Dream Blues: Racism and the War on Drugs. Dr. Lusane is the former editor of the journal Black Political Agenda, and has edited newsletters for a number of national non-profit organizations. He is a national columnist for the Black Voices syndicated news network, and his writings have appeared in The Black Scholar, Race and Class, Washington Post, Oakland Tribune, Covert Action Information Bulletin, Z Magazine, Radical History Journal and many other publications. For nearly 20 years, he has won research and writing awards. His essay "Rhapsodic Aspirations: Rap, Race, and Power Politics," won the 1993 Larry Neal Writers' Competition Grand Prize for Art Criticism. In 1983, his article, "Israeli Arms to Central America," won the prestigious Project Censored Investigative Reporting Award as the most censored story of the year. He is the former Chairman of the Board of the National Alliance of Third World Journalists. And as a journalist, he has traveled to numerous countries to investigate the political and social circumstances or crises those nations faced including Haiti during its turbulent 1980s' elections; Panama in the aftermath of the U.S. invasion; East Germany during the last months of its existence; and Zimbabwe as a delegate to the Congress of the International Organization of Journalists. Other nations that he has visited and reported on include Cuba, Egypt, Mexico, Jamaica, the Netherlands, North Korea, Italy, and South Africa. Dr. Lusane has been a political and technical consultant to the World Council of Churches, the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, and a number of elected officials and non-profit organizations. He worked for eight years in the U.S. House of Representatives as a staff aide to former D.C. Congressman Walter E. Fauntroy, and then for the former Democratic Study Group that served as the primary source of legislative information and analysis for House Democrats. He has taught and worked at Howard University's Center for Drug Abuse Research, and the Center for Urban Policy; Medgar Evers College's Du Bois Bunche Center for Public Policy, and Columbia University's Institute for Research in African American Studies. Dr. Lusane received his Ph.D. in Political Science from Howard University in 1997. In 2001-2002, he received the prestigious British Council Atlantic Fellowship in Public Policy where he investigated the impact of regional anti-racism legislation on the anti-racist movement in the UK. Following from 2002-2003, he served as Assistant Director of the 1990 Trust, one of the UK's largest and most important anti-racist, human rights non-governmental organizations. He has lectured and presented scholarly papers at a wide range of colleges and universities including Harvard, Georgetown, George Washington, North Carolina A&T, University of California-Berkeley, University of Chicago, Yale, London School of Economics, and University of Paris among others. He has also lectured on U.S. race relations in numerous foreign nations including Colombia, Cuba, England, France, Germany, Guadeloupe, Haiti, Japan, the Netherlands, Panama, Switzerland, and Zimbabwe among others. Dr. Lusane has regularly appeared on C-SPAN, PBS, BET, and other local, national, and international television and radio programs where he has discussed international relations, global black politics, economic globalization and new technologies, cultural issues, and multilateral narcotics policy. http://clarencelusane.blogspot.com 01 eng 576 00 576 03 20 african american;american history;barack obama;class;history;politics;power;President;race relations;slavery 24 Internet CL Hierarchy African American Writing 24 Internet CL Hierarchy Cultural Studies 24 Internet CL Hierarchy Politics 01 Official histories of the United States have ignored the fact that 25 percent of all U.S. presidents were slaveholders, and that black people were held in bondage in the White House itself. And while the nation was born under the banner of "freedom and justice for all," many colonists risked rebelling against England in order to protect their lucrative slave business from the growing threat of British abolitionism. These historical facts, commonly excluded from schoolbooks and popular versions of American history, have profoundly shaped the course of race relations in the United States. In this unprecedented work, Clarence Lusane presents a comprehensive history of the White House from an African American perspective, illuminating the central role it has played in advancing, thwarting or simply ignoring efforts to achieve equal rights for all. Here are the stories of those who were forced to work on the construction of the mansion at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue and the determined leaders who pressured U.S. presidents to outlaw slavery, White House slaves and servants who went on to write books, Secret Service agents harassed by racist peers, Washington insiders who rose to the highest levels of power, the black artists and intellectuals invited to the White House, community leaders who waged presidential campaigns, and many others. Juxtaposing significant events in White House history with the ongoing struggle for civil rights, Clarence Lusane makes plain that the White House has always been a prism through which to view the social struggles and progress of black Americans. "Black folks built the White House in more ways than one. In this beautifully rendered narrative, Clarence Lusane recasts the whole of American history by revealing how slavery and emancipation, racial violence and civil rights, the black freedom movement and white supremacy, and dozens of unsung black heroes shaped the U.S. presidency and federal government in profound ways. Anyone who cares about this country and is not afraid of the truth must read this book, including President Obama. It can help him get his house in order." —Robin D. G. Kelley, author Thelonious Monk: The Life and Times of an American Original "Clarence Lusane is one of America's most thoughtful and critical thinkers on issues of race, class and power." —Manning Marable "Barack Obama may be the first black president in the White House, but he's far from the first black person to work in it. In this fascinating history of all the enslaved people, workers and entertainers who spent time in the president's official residence over the years, Clarence Lusane restores the White House to its true colors." —Barbara Ehrenreich "In the age of the tea party and the short memory of racism in America, The Black History of the White House is a must read. In bringing to life the histories of racial exclusion and humiliation exercised from within the walls of the nation's most abiding symbol, Clarence Lusane offers a searing reminder of the tenacious personal and political effort from the country's highest office it has taken to uphold racial privilege in the US. But this is a story too of the mountains that had to be climbed so courageously in the reach for freedom and ultimately, as George Clinton has put it, 'to make the White House black/brown,' to represent all of America." —David Theo Goldberg, author of The Threat of Race: Reflections on Racial Neoliberalism "Reading The Black History of the White House shows us how much we DON'T know about our history, politics, and culture. In a very accessible and polished style, Clarence Lusane takes us inside the key national events of the American past and present. He reveals new dimensions of the black presence in the US from revolutionary days to the Obama campaign. Yes, 'black hands built the White House' — enslaved black hands — but they also built this country's economy, political system, and culture, in ways Lusane shows us in great detail. A particularly important feature of this book its personal storytelling: we see black political history through the experiences and insights of little-known participants in great American events. The detailed lives of Washington's slaves seeking freedom, or the complexities of Duke Ellington's relationships with the Truman and Eisenhower White House, show us American racism, and also black America's fierce hunger for freedom, in brand new and very exciting ways. This book would be a great addition to many courses in history, sociology, or ethnic studies courses. Highly recommended!" —Howard Winant, UC Santa Barbara 02 The untold history and politics of the White House from the perspective of African Americans 08 "Dr. Lusane points out the reality of the political system in that 'United States presidents have advocated and fought for major progressive racial relations only when space opens up for them to push radical change.' . . . Today, when reflecting on the past, it is important to consider how far along this country has come and the impact of what having a black president means to this country and the world." —Huyen Bui, Retriever Weekly Retriever Weekly 08 "The historical patterns elucidated within Lusane's work will have a profound impact on the perceptions of social work students (BSW and MSW). Concepts of race relationships will be altered. In addition, I found that the biographical sketches are reminiscent of Kennedy's Profiles in Courage. . . . The book will be a great asset to the intellectual and emotional development of social work students." Journal of Social Work Values & Ethics Vol. 9, No. 1 08 "Dr. Clarence Lusane, program director for Comparative and Regional Studies at American University, painted an interesting link between African Americans and the White House dating all the way back to its construction. Throughout the course of his research, Dr. Lusane found that slave labor was used in the construction of the White House and other buildings in Washington, D.C. His book, The Black History of the White House, will certainly be a lesson to us all." Amber Gray, The Bulletin, Vol. 23, No. 3 August 2011 The Bulletin, Vol. 23, No. 3 August 2011 08 "The Obamas were the first African American first family, but not the first residents. This thoroughly researched and gripping book shares the untold stories of some of the people who were enslaved by U.S. presidents, including stories of resistance and escape. Lusane describes the myriad ways that the White House and the lives of African Americans have been intertwined throughout U.S. history. This is the only book to document this essential story in our country's history." Rethinking Schools 08 "Clarence Lusane's Black History of the White House came out late last year and flew under the radar at most of the major book reviews. But Lusane is an elegant, impassioned writer, and the book—which is full of stories we’d never encountered in American History 101—is totally engrossing. Lusane starts off in the 18th century, working his way up to Barack Obama’s White House. Presidents Washington, Madison, and Roosevelt (the first) come in for especially close examination, but you’ll also read about 'Blind Tom' Wiggins (an autistic savant who was the first African-American to give a professional performance at the White House), James Benjamin Parker (an extremely large man who became a national hero after helping to subdue President McKinley’s assassin), and other figures who are more or less ignored by conventional historians. This is a serious, necessary book, but not a humorless one, and one of our favorite sections involves the forgotten campaign to draft Dizzy Gillespie to run against Lyndon Johnson in 1964: 'Rather than "secretaries" he would have "ministers,"' Lusane writes, 'including Max Roach as Minister of Defense, bassist Charles Mingus as Minister of Peace, Malcolm X as Attorney General, composer Duke Ellington as Ambassador to the Vatican, Louis Armstrong as Minister of Agriculture, and singer Ray Charles would be in charge of the Library of Congress. Other positions were to go to Ella Fitzgerald, Peggy Lee, Carmen McRae, Woody Herman, and Count Basie.'" The Observer's "Very Short List" 08 "Lusane (Colin Powell and Condoleeza Rice) returns to the nation's highest office in his latest work, tracing the seldom-revealed contributions of black men and women in the White House, from the days of its construction to the present. He meticulously threads personal stories of slaves, builders, chefs, jazz performers, policymakers, and other historic figures (accompanied by occasional portraits) with sharp analyses of leaders facing the criticism and challenges of their times. Whether considering slave-owning presidents who publicly skirted their participation in the practice, exploring Emancipation, Reconstruction, the Civil Rights movement and its aftermath, or discussing contemporary instances, like the Beer Summit, and questioning whether the Obama presidency signals a post-racial era, Lusane offers a vital addition to American history. The thorough density with which he approaches his subject may slow the pace, but scholars will find an intelligent account of one the most controversial and revered seats of power. Lusane's effort is much more than a catchy title or revisionist tome: it's an eye-opening tribute and a provocative reminder of the many narratives that have gone untold." Publishers Weekly 08 "The author concludes from his research that there is little doubt the first African American in the White House was a slave. In fact, 25 percent of our presidents were slaveholders. And between the time of slavery and now — with our nation's first black president — there is a long and storied history of blacks in the White House, from servants to lobbyists to Secret Service agents, reporters, activists, officials and more." The Chicago Sun Times 08 "It is commonly excluded from schoolbooks and history that 25 percent of all U.S. presidents were slaveholders — with the White House serving as a place of bondage to slaves. While the nation was born under the banner of "freedom and justice for all," many colonists risked rebelling against England in order to protect their lucrative slave business from the growing threat of British abolitionism. 'The Black History of the White House (City Light, $19.95)' by Clarence Lusane presents a comprehensive — yet untold — history of the White House from an African American perspective. In illuminating the central role Blacks played in this country's history, Lusane charts the course of race relations in the Untied States. “'The Black History of the White House' features stories of those who were forced to work on the construction of 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. and the White House slaves and servants who went on to write books. Readers hear from the Secret Service agents who were harassed by their peers to the Washington insiders who rose to the highest levels of power and behind-the-scenes with Black artists and intellectuals invited to the White House. “'This book focuses on the historic relationship/contradiction between the declaration of freedom and equality by the nation's founders — and as embodied in the president and the presidency — and the systematic and state-sanctioned discrimination against African Americans and other people of color in the United States,' explained Lusane. 'The White House, as symbol and substance, is the prism through which the long history of Black marginalization is viewed. This book argues that while Barack Obama's election is a milestone, it does not undo the historic or contemporary racial barriers that have always defined the nation, and that contentions that we are now in a post-racial America are false. It further argues that many U.S. Presidents, including those under which major racial progress occurred (Lincoln, Franklin D. Roosevelt and Lyndon Johnson), have been complicit in Black marginalization, and that Obama will have to overcome the institution of the presidency if he is to achieve real progress in the area of race relations.'” The Philadelphia Tribune 08 "Those who think they know their presidents may be in for surprises in Clarence Lusane's fascinating social history that begins: 'More than one in four U.S. presidents were involved in human trafficking and slavery. These presidents bought, sold, bred and enslaved black people for profit. Of the 12 presidents who were enslavers, more than half kept people in bondage at the White House.' Lusane, an American University professor, weaves in stories of people like Paul Jennings, born into slavery on James Madison's farm, who at 10 was a White House footman and in 1865 wrote the first White House memoir, A Colored Man's Reminiscences of James Madison." USA Today 08 "In eloquent language, Lusane shows how the African American experience helped shape a series of presidential administrations and governmental policies." Sacramento Bee 08 "The White House was built with slave labor and at least six US presidents owned slaves during their time in office. With these facts, Clarence Lusane, a political science professor at American University, opens 'The Black History of the White House'(City Lights), a fascinating story of race relations that plays out both on the domestic front and the international stage. As Lusane writes, 'The Lincoln White House resolved the issue of slavery, but not that of racism.' Along with the political calculations surrounding who gets invited to the White House are matters of musical tastes and opinionated first ladies, ingredients that make for good storytelling." Boston Globe 08 "Despite the racial progress represented by the election of the first black president of the U.S., the nation's capital has a very complicated and often unflattering racial history. Lusane traces the racial history of the White House from George Washington to Barack Obama." Booklist 08 "Slaves have toiled in the White House; 25 percent of our Presidents were slaveholders. Lusane reminds readers of the place of the President's house, from its very construction onward, in African American history, a tale all-too rarely told." Library Journal 08 " . . . carefully documents the travails of a polity in which African-Americans were so essential and prevalent, but that struggled endlessly to maintain, then dismantle, the institution of slavery. . . . A lively, opinionated survey, telling a story that the textbooks too often overlook." Kirkus Reviews 23 01 http://www.citylights.com/resources/titles/87286100744980/extras/CLOrderFormR.pdf 23 01 http://www.citylights.com/resources/titles/87286100744980/extras/LusaneExcerpt.pdf 23 01 http://www.citylights.com/resources/titles/87286100744980/extras/ReadGroupGuide.pdf 04 03 72 01 http://www.citylights.com/resources/titles/87286100744980/images/87286100744980L.jpg 07 03 72 01 http://www.citylights.com/resources/titles/87286100744980/images/87286100744980S.jpg http://www.citylights.com/book/?GCOI=87286100744980 City Lights Publishers 01 City Lights Publishers 20101115 08 32 oz City Lights Books 01 WORLD 20 20101115 01 02 19.95 USD