This is the amazing story of a black man who served in the white house and made friends with generations of American Presidents for 32 years...!

Eugene Allen worked in the White House as a butler from 1952 to 1986. His appointment at the presidential house came at a point when racism was trending, yet he managed to scale through. Married to Helene Allen for 65 years with son, Charles Allen, Eugene remains a personality to reckon with.

According to the Washingtonpost (2008), President Truman called him Gene. President Ford who happened to be his birthday mate liked to talk golf with him. He saw eight presidential administrations come and go, often working six days a week. “I never missed a day of work,” Allen says.


His is a story from the back pages of history; a figure in the tiniest of print. The man in the kitchen -he was there while America’s racial history was being remade: Brown v. Board of Education, the Little Rock school crisis, the 1963 March on Washington, the cities burning, the civil rights bills, the assassinations.

He was fond of all the eight families he served but was fond of president J.F Kennedy the most. According to his son, Charles Allen, the first day he saw his father cry was the day president J.F Kennedy was assassinated.

This highly respected butler was able to keep the secrets of these presidents and even refused to sell his story despite numerous requests from various bodies. 'The Butler', starring Oprah Winfrey as Helene, is presently one of the most anticipated movies.I definitely can not wait to catch a glimpse of what Eugene's life in the Whitehouse as a butler must have been like!

SOURCE: http://www.tutubranch.com/2013/08/Eugene-Allen-inspires-film.html

Whatever you are, be a good one!

Fortissimo: Whatever you are, be a good one!

word!!

I always feel sorry for blacks that lived through the horrors and demeaning nature of slavery and unchecked discrimination. How they manage to keep cool is something i can't imagine.