Becoming, by Michelle Obama: on Civil Rights


OpEd: Trump inauguration marked by white, male sameness

[In Jan. 2017], sitting on the inaugural stage in front of the U.S. Capitol for the third time, I worked to contain my emotions. The vibrant diversity of the two previous inaugurations was gone, replaced by what felt like a dispiriting uniformity, the kind of overwhelmingly white and male tableau I'd encountered so many times in my life--especially in the more privileged spaces. What I knew from working in professional environments is that sameness breeds more sameness, until you make a thoughtful effort to counteract it.

Looking around at the 300 or so people sitting on the stage that morning, the esteemed guests of the incoming president, it felt apparent to me that in the new White House, this effort wasn't likely to be made. Someone from Barack's administration might have said that the optics were bad--that what the public saw didn't reflect the president's reality or ideals. But in this case, maybe it did. Realizing it, I made my own optic adjustment: I stopped even trying to smile.

Source: Becoming, by Michelle Obama, p.418 Nov 13, 2018

  • The above quotations are from Becoming,
    by Michelle Obama    .
  • Click here for definitions & background information on Civil Rights.
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Page last updated: Apr 03, 2019