Guest of Honor: Booker T. Washington, Theodore Roosevelt, and the White House Dinner that Shocked a Nation

At the beginning of the 20th century, there were strictly-enforced rules in the South which prevented African Americans and Whites from intermingling socially. During the Civil Rights Movement, the desegregation of lunch counters in department stores was a major front in the struggle for African Americans rights, which eventually led to equality in all public accommodations.  However, this fight began long before the 1960s.

Early on in his presidency, Theodore Roosevelt invited African American educator, Booker T. Washington to dine at the White House.  The fallout from this meeting created a nationwide controversy and angered many, especially in the South.  In Guest of Honor, Deborah Davis tells the story of the two men, the dinner, and the scandal that followed.