Twelve U.S. presidents owned slaves. Only one – George Washington – set his free, and only then after the death of his wife.

In an Associated Press story today (Presidents Day), African American journalist Jesse Washington examines the odd link between the nation’s first president and the descendants of slavery, that peculiar American institution.

The 2000 U.S. Census counted 163,036 people with the surname Washington. Ninety percent of them were African-American -- a far higher black percentage than for any other common name.

“The story of how Washington became the "blackest name" begins with slavery and takes a sharp turn after the Civil War, when all blacks were allowed the dignity of a surname,” the Journalist writes.

Read the full story.

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