The People's House

African American Influence and Presence in the White House

By: Michelle D. Commander, Kathleen M. Kendrick

For America’s 250th birthday, an anthology celebrating the African American voices that influenced and shaped the history of the White House.

The People’s House is an anthology comprised primarily of first-person accounts, from the eighteenth century to the present, detailing the Black experience in the White House—in turn illustrating how African Americans have influenced the presidency and policy over America’s 250-year history. The collection’s diversity of perspectives—from dressmakers and domestic staff members to abolition and civil rights activists, as well as cabinet members, elected officials, and First Family members—charts not only a history of African Americans in the most recognizable U.S. institution, but how African Americans have shaped the history of the White House and America as a whole.

Featuring writing by Frederick Douglass, Ida B. Wells, Thurgood Marshall, Shirley Chisholm, Colin M. Powell, Barack Obama, as well as dozens of other influential Black figures, this anthology is a thorough, personable history of the White House, from its construction through slave labor to the election of the first Black President in U.S. history. Each entry is accompanied by insight from series editors Michelle D. Commander and Kathleen M. Kendrick, contextualizing the circumstances in which each first-person account was written and the impact the individual had on the White House.

©2026 Michelle D. Commander and Kathleen M. Kendrick (P)2026 Penguin Audio