Booktalk: The Invisibles 

Join Jesse Holland, author of The Invisibles; The Untold Story of African American Slaves in the White House, for a presentation about the many far-reaching and often overlooked roles African Americans played in the history of the White House.

His new book The Invisibles chronicles the African American presence inside the White House from its beginnings in 1782 until 1862, when President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation. During these years, slaves were the only African Americans to whom the most powerful men in the United States were exposed on a daily, and familiar, basis. By exploring these often-intimate relationships, guests will better understand some of the views that various presidents held about class and race in American society, and how these slaves contributed not only to the life and comforts of the presidents they served, but to America as a whole.

Jesse J. Holland is a nationally recognized journalist and media personality, who combines his work as a political reporter for The Associated Press, with a love of African American history and news.  

Mr. Holland will be available to sign books following the program.  Reception and refreshments to follow.  $15