Chocolate City

By Chris Myers Asch, George Derek Musgrove,

Book cover of Chocolate City: A History of Race and Democracy in the Nation's Capital

Book description

Monumental in scope and vividly detailed, Chocolate City tells the tumultuous, four-century story of race and democracy in our nation's capital. Emblematic of the ongoing tensions between America's expansive democratic promises and its enduring racial realities, Washington often has served as a national battleground for contentious issues, including slavery, segregation,…

When you buy books, we may earn a commission that helps keep our lights on (or join the rebellion as a member).

Why read it?

1 author picked Chocolate City as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

Chocolate City covers the last few centuries of history in DC.

This tome provides an in-depth overview of the history of race in Washington, DC from its founding to the present. It traces the history of race and democracy in the nation’s capital – from its days as a trading post for enslaved persons to its emergence as a booming metropolis.

By putting racial dynamics, tensions, and demographics at the center of the narrative, the authors develop a cohesive narrative that helps us to understand the multiple and consistent ways that Black DC residents have been disenfranchised and dispossessed. 

Want books like Chocolate City?

Our community of 12,000+ authors has personally recommended 100 books like Chocolate City.

Browse books like Chocolate City

Book cover of Locking Up Our Own: Crime and Punishment in Black America
Book cover of Black in Place: The Spatial Aesthetics of Race in a Post-Chocolate City
Book cover of Race, Class, and Politics in the Cappuccino City

Share your top 3 reads of 2024!

And get a beautiful page showing off your 3 favorite reads.

1,510

readers submitted
so far, will you?

5 book lists we think you will like!

Interested in African Americans, race relations, and gentrification?

African Americans 813 books
Race Relations 268 books
Gentrification 23 books