New marker acknowledges role of slavery in building White House
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Three new plaques in Lafayette Square note the contributions of enslaved people to the building of the White House, the location of the park as a protest zone and former first lady Jacqueline Kennedy s role in preserving the park and creating the White House Historical Association. (Katherine Frey/The Washington Post)
WASHINGTON The unveiling ceremony on the north side of Lafayette Square on Wednesday wasn’t large and it didn’t last long, but history was made. Or rather, history was recognized. Finally.
Fifty or so people gathered in the late-morning swelter to watch as Stewart D. McLaurin, president of the White House Historical Association (WHHA), and John Stanwich, the National Park Service’s liaison to the White House, removed black cloth draping three historic markers on the north side of the square.
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