Caption: Dr. Clarence Lusane is author of The Black History of the White House., Credit: Rebecca Sheir
Image by: Rebecca Sheir 
Dr. Clarence Lusane is author of The Black History of the White House. 

How the White House Got Its Name

From: Rebecca Sheir
Length: 00:03:19

Embed_button
Hint: It doesn't have a whole lot to do with paint swatches... Read the full description.

Img_3180_edit_small

Washington, D.C., is home to the most famous house in America: the White House. And for many African-Americans, this legendary building represents a rarely discussed history of exclusion and inequality.

Rebecca Sheir headed to Lafayette Square, across from the White House, to talk with Clarence Lusane, an associate professor at American University, and author of The Black History of the White House. The book discusses the ties between people of African descent and the White House… including how the latter got its name.

More from Rebecca Sheir

Caption: The Packard Campus is roughly 500,000 square feet, built into the side of a mountain in Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains., Credit: Library of Congress/Matt Raymond

Library Of Congress Preserves A Treasure Trove... Underground (short version) (00:03:28)
From: Rebecca Sheir

What do you get when you take a former Cold War bunker and fill it with the world’s largest collection of films, TV shows, radio broadcasts and sound recordings?
Caption: The Packard Campus is roughly 500,000 square feet, built into the side of a mountain in Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains., Credit: Library of Congress Photo/ Matt Raymond

Library Of Congress Preserves A Treasure Trove... Underground (00:06:38)
From: Rebecca Sheir

What do you get when you take a former Cold War bunker and fill it with the world’s largest collection of films, TV shows, radio broadcasts and sound recordings?
Caption: The original Virginia Is For Lovers slogan/logo, created by Martin & Woltz (now The Martin Agency) in 1968., Credit: The Martin Agency

Is Virginia Really For Lovers? (00:05:50)
From: Rebecca Sheir

The real story behind one of the most famous tourism slogans of all time.
Caption: This rough sketch for a children's book drew one D.C. native into a mystery regarding “Colored Only” signs in D.C. in the 1930s. , Credit: Rebecca Sheir

Remembering the Subtle Signs of Segregation (00:07:41)
From: Rebecca Sheir

A well-meaning illustration in a children's book sparks controversy over segregation in the nation's capital in the 1930s.
Caption: Scientists working on the Webb Telescope say it's so revolutionary, it’s like “our generation’s Apollo.”

An Extra-Chilly Successor To Hubble (00:06:22)
From: Rebecca Sheir

Come winter, your neck of the woods may be cold. But guess how frigid the James Webb Space Telescope will be when it launches in 2018? 400 degrees Fahrenheit below zero. For real.
Caption: At age 29, Martin Spitznagel is the World Champion of Old-Time Piano Playing., Credit: Martin Spitznagel

From Scott Joplin to Super Mario Bros.: Making Old-Time Piano New Again (00:03:48)
From: Rebecca Sheir

A 20-something pianist is making old-time piano new again... with a little help from Darth Vader and Super Mario Bros.
Caption: The Big Board offers a stock exchange... for beer., Credit: agencyQ

A Beer'n'Burger Stock Exchange: The Big Board (00:03:45)
From: Rebecca Sheir

A new restaurant is trying to corner the market on neighborhood pubs, with beer prices that fluctuate in real time, based on customer demand.
Caption: 97-year-old Jim Dandy says "clothes are people, and people are clothes.", Credit: Rebecca Sheir

Keeping It Clean For Nearly 80 Years: The Talented Jim Dandy (00:04:28)
From: Rebecca Sheir

Meet a man who's been dry cleaning for nearly 80 years, with a little bit of stain-removing savvy... and a whole lot of love.
Caption: At RAS, you can order Caribbean food (like the Bake and Shark, left) or Ethiopian cuisine (like the vegetarian platter, right)., Credit: Rebecca Sheir

Injera Bread & Shark Meat: Tasting Ethiopia & Jamaica (00:04:46)
From: Rebecca Sheir

What happens when Africa and the Caribbean culinarily collide in the U.S. capital? Dig in and find out!
Caption: There's quite a story behind D.C.'s first fireproof residence..., Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/josepha/2977738045/

The House That Beer -- and Pyrophobia -- Built (00:04:42)
From: Rebecca Sheir

After losing a home and two breweries to fire, one German beermaker vowed not to let history repeat itself... and built an extraordinary house that would never go up in smoke.

Piece Description

Washington, D.C., is home to the most famous house in America: the White House. And for many African-Americans, this legendary building represents a rarely discussed history of exclusion and inequality.

Rebecca Sheir headed to Lafayette Square, across from the White House, to talk with Clarence Lusane, an associate professor at American University, and author of The Black History of the White House. The book discusses the ties between people of African descent and the White House… including how the latter got its name.

Broadcast History

A longer version of this piece originally aired on Metro Connection, on WAMU 88.5

Intro and Outro

INTRO:

OUTRO:

Rebecca Sheir is the host and producer of Metro Connection, on W-A-M-U 88-5.

Related Website

http://wamu.org/programs/mc/11/04/08.php#42147