Between Freedom and Equality

"Between Freedom and Equality is a moving narrative of Washington, DC told through the lives of one of its founding families. From working with George Washington to fighting in the Civil War, this family's story reveals the ingenuity, genius and courage of the Black Washingtonians who formed and shaped their city for the better, even as others worked to exclude and destroy them. Between Freedom and Equality is an outstanding example of collaboration between researchers and descendants working to restore a long-denied history. It stands as a powerful reminder that the stories of so many heroes of our past have been buried because they were Black. Between Freedom and Equality works to undo some of that damage, giving us the histories of American heroes who may never have been given monuments, but who can still inspire us today." — Anna-Lisa Cox, award-winning author of The Bone and Sinew of the Land

"Barbara Torrey and Clara Myrick Green, with the partnership of Tanya Hardy and James Fisher, have produced a stirring, thorough, and surprisingly optimistic history of Black Washington through the six generations of the George Pointer family. Stirring because it is a dramatic story of freedom amid slavery and its aftermath. Thorough because it is deeply and often serendipitously researched. And optimistic because it documents this family's ability to isolate itself from racism by owning land in DC until white powers take that land away. It also weaves the fabric of times when segregation was not so rigid and isolating. As American society experiences a renewed need for historical context, Between Freedom and Equality meets the moment." — Jane F. Levey, managing editor, Washington History, magazine of the DC History Center

"Torrey and Green's years of painstaking research are revealed in details large and small that bring the Pointer family to life.... The result of their tireless efforts is a rich journey through two centuries of Washington DC — and American — history, as lived by George Pointer and his descendants." — Faith Mitchell, fellow, the Urban Institute

"[G]roundbreaking.... [A] worthy contribution to the history of Washington." — Hill Rag

"[A] solid contribution to genealogical and historical literature." — CHOICE

"The authors' contextualization of the family's history and attention to their continued legacy make this book essential reading for scholars and lay people interested in African American history generally and the history of Black life in DC." — Washington History