Overview

"Twenty Dollars and Change places Harriet Tubman's life and legacy in a long tradition of resistance, illuminating the ongoing struggle to realize a democracy in which her emancipatory vision prevails. America is in the throes of a historic reckoning with racism, with the battle for control over official narratives at ground zero. Across the country, politicians, city councils, and school boards are engaged in a highly polarized debate about whose accomplishments should be recognized, and whose point of view should be included in the telling of America's history. In Twenty Dollars and Change, political scientist Clarence Lusane, author of the acclaimed The, writes from a basic premise: Racist historical narratives and pervasive social inequities are inextricably linked-changing one can transform the other. Taking up the debate over the future of the twenty-dollar bill, Lusane uses the question of Harriet Tubman vs. Andrew Jackson as a lens through which to view the current state of our nation's ongoing reckoning with the legacies of slavery and foundational white supremacy. He places the struggle to confront unjust social conditions in direct connection with the push to transform our public symbols, making it plain that any choice of whose life deserves to be remembered and honored is a direct reflection of whose basic rights are deemed worthy of protection, and whose are not. ""Engaging and insightful, Twenty Dollars and Changeilluminates the grassroots effort to have our national currency reflect the diversity of America and all of its citizens-those ordinary and extraordinary people who have stood up and demanded freedom, equality and justice. A must read!""-Kate Clifford Larson,author ofBound for the Promised Land: Harriet Tubman, Portrait of an American Hero"

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Reviews

Lusane is an elegant, impassioned writer. -The Observer PRAISE FOR CLARENCE LUSANE'S THE BLACK HISTORY OF THE WHITE HOUSE For many Americans, the White House stands as a symbol of liberty and justice. But its gleaming facade hides harsh realities, from the slaves who built the home to the presidents who lived there and shaped the country's racial history, often for the worse. In The Black History of the White House, Clarence Lusane traces the path of race relations in America by telling a very specific history-the stories of those African-Americans who built, worked at and visited the White House. -Mary Louise Kelly, Talk of the Nation, National Public Radio 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 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 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 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 United States. -The Philadelphia Tribune Lusane 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. 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. 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 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 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

PRAISE FOR CLARENCE LUSANE's Twenty Dollars and Change: Lusane elucidates how structural racism and the convulsive and circular political violence of white backlash undermine the strides of black progress. He also carefully, and contemplatively, contextualizes Tubman's work and legacy as foundational to a tradition of resistance, including the fierce battle against the regressive anti-black racism of this moment. Twenty Dollars and Change is a future-gazing guide to who we must be to become who we claim to be. And as Lusane notes, we will only get there by changing, inside and out. -Kali Holloway, from the foreword Clarence Lusane has been a respected scholar activist and keen observer of the Black Freedom Movement for many decades now. His new book, Twenty Dollars and Change, offers powerful analyses of race and U.S. history and our present crucible moment. Writing from what he terms a Tubman, liberationist, perspective he delivers powerful and provocative insights that must be engaged seriously. A must read. -Barbara Ransby, author of Making All Black Lives Matter: Reimagining Freedom in the Twenty-First Century Twenty Dollars and Change is a book for our times. As challenges to racial justice, women's rights, and democracy itself intensify, Lusane's sober and historically-rooted analysis provides much needed clarity and insight. Tubman represents the best that this nation has produced and her life experiences and unrelenting commitment to equality echo in today's struggle for reforming criminal justice, dismantling white supremacist symbols, protecting voting rights, and securing health equity. Lusane expertly links these campaigns and calls for the nation to implement the principles it claims to hold. Twenty Dollars and Change is exactly the book we need at this moment. -Congresswoman Karen Bass PRAISE FOR CLARENCE LUSANE: Clarence Lusane is one of America's most thoughtful and critical-thinkers on issues of race, class, and power. - Manning Marable, author of Malcolm X: A Life of Reinvention Lusane analyzes Black people, issues, power, and leadership with insight and passion. -Julianne Malveaux, author of Are We Better Off? Race, Obama and Public Policy PRAISE FOR CLARENCE LUSANE'S THE BLACK HISTORY OF THE WHITE HOUSE Clarence Lusane traces the path of race relations in America by telling a very specific history-the stories of those African-Americans who built, worked at and visited the White House. -Mary Louise Kelly, Talk of the Nation, National Public Radio Those who think they know their presidents may be in for surprises in Clarence Lusane's fascinating social history. -USA Today In illuminating the central role Blacks played in this country's history, Lusane charts the course of race relations in the United States. -The Philadelphia Tribune 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 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

Twenty Dollars and Change is a future-gazing guide to who we must be to become who we claim to be. -Kali Holloway, columnist for the The Nation and The Daily Beast (from the foreword) In this trailblazing study, Dr. Lusane builds an irrefutable case that justice in representation goes hand in hand with justice in policy. . . . Urgent and inspiring. -Barbara Ortiz Howard, Founder of Women on 20s Twenty Dollars and Change offers powerful analyses of race and U.S. history and our present crucible moment. . . . A must read. -Barbara Ransby, author of Making All Black Lives Matter: Reimagining Freedom in the Twenty-First Century As challenges to racial justice, women's rights, and democracy itself intensify, Lusane's sober and historically rooted analysis provides much needed clarity and insight. . . . Twenty Dollars and Change is exactly the book we need at this moment. -Congresswoman Karen Bass Clarence Lusane reminds us that we all can contribute enormously to a more perfect society based on the dignity, diversity, and democracy of the peoples. In that spirit, and with great clarity and integrity, Lusane calls on us to wake up, fight back, and never back down until justice prevails. -Suzan Shown Harjo (Cheyenne & Hodulgee Muscogee), Writer, Editor, Curator, Native & Indigenous Rights Advocate, and Recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom Lusane teaches us of the starkly contrasting lives of Tubman and Jackson, and captures blow-by-blow the intricacies of the struggles over changing currency before connecting them to broader ones in the moment of Donald Trump and George Floyd. -David Roediger, author of Working Toward Whiteness: How America's Immigrants Became White

PRAISE FOR CLARENCE LUSANE'S THE BLACK HISTORY OF THE WHITE HOUSE Clarence Lusane traces the path of race relations in America by telling a very specific history-the stories of those African-Americans who built, worked at and visited the White House. -Mary Louise Kelly, Talk of the Nation, National Public Radio Those who think they know their presidents may be in for surprises in Clarence Lusane's fascinating social history. -USA Today In illuminating the central role Blacks played in this country's history, Lusane charts the course of race relations in the United States. -The Philadelphia Tribune 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 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

Author Information

"Dr. Clarence Lusane , Lusane lives and works in the Washington, DC area. Kali Holloway is a monthly columnist for both The Nation and The Daily Beast. She is the former director of the ""Make it Right Project,"" a national initiative dedicated to taking down Confederate monuments and telling the truth about history. She is lead vocalist for the band ""Easy Lover"" and is currently working on her first book, The Secret Racist History of Everything."

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