Michelle Obama: Family History Of First Lady Is Complex, Tied To Slavery

The New York Times:

Melvinia Shields, the enslaved and illiterate young girl, and the unknown white man who impregnated her are the great-great-great-grandparents of Michelle Obama, the first lady.

Read the whole story: The New York Times

Comments

[Rational-1]

12:49 AM on 10/22/2009

Are we moving backwards or forward? Enough!

[rmcdonald48]

12:59 PM on 10/09/2009

The larger question here is - how many millions of American women of similar descent can trace their roots back as far as Ms. Obama's, yet receive no noteriety for it. What makes her more 'special' than a young lady who lives in Ft Collins CO, or Peoria IL, or Jessup AL - other than who she is, the wife of the President.

Shame on you for making more of her than what she is - another American woman.

[M1]

03:00 PM on 10/08/2009

Michelle Obama for President!!!!!

[Cimms]

02:58 PM on 10/08/2009

The First Lady is beautiful. No wonder the President is always smiling.

[Biracial1]

02:56 PM on 10/08/2009

My wish is that more of us could trace our ancestors farther than the unknown white man.

[TheGuide]

03:20 PM on 10/08/2009

And many American whites can trace their backgrounds to black slavery, as well. There was a lot of passing going on back then for sheer survival. Which meant marrying white while knowing they had the "dreaded" drop of black blood. Oh yeah, there are millions who are passing today and don't know it.

[maiali]

03:31 PM on 10/08/2009

Thank you! I wonder when we'll begin to hear about that!
In the same way that most African Americans have some white ancestry, there isn't a black family I know of that doesn't know of some member of the family---an ancestor---who passed as white.

[constitutional 1]

02:06 PM on 10/08/2009

Great story. while i dont agree with her political views, her story i and the presidents show how children from a strong, supportive, enduring family can overcome the most insurmountable odds.

[dteg]

02:03 PM on 10/08/2009

That is the story of black people in America. Their ancestors survived a brutal time in America history. It needs to be taught more in schools. If there ancestors survived this the children will learn they can overcome anything.

[llisa]

02:26 PM on 10/08/2009

I agree. It seems this period in American history is glossed over in schools. We talk about the civil war, but not the conditions that led up to it.

[ItHasToBeSaid]

02:42 PM on 10/08/2009

Yes, yes!! That has to be the BEST comment I've read today. If our kids would learn to look back and see from whence we came -- our TRUE history, not the single, inadequate paragraph in their history texts -- they'd know that they owe it to our ancestors, and themselves, to keep on moving.

[Carolyn LeBeauf]

01:57 PM on 10/08/2009

I enjoyed it too. I love history and love finding out about where we all came from and how. Fox news would never report on this. It would make them more angry than they are. I remember when my family traced our roots it was something else. We are all relatives, brothers and sisters of this world. Only the right wingnuts will dispute it.

[Rog49Thomas]

01:35 PM on 10/08/2009

Thomas Jefferson?

George Washington?

[LetMeUnderstandThis]

01:33 PM on 10/08/2009

So I guess they are trying to embarass the FLOTUS! Nothing to see here folks, move along.

[emrogers]

01:47 PM on 10/08/2009

What are you saying? Why would she be embarassed?

[k6007]

01:50 PM on 10/08/2009

There's nothing to be embarrassed about.
This is another story of an american family overcoming overwhelming odds.
Beautifully, inspiring.

[1010TRAVIS]

01:15 PM on 10/08/2009

what do you know......the white man did do something good!
that you mr. Unknown white man for our First Lady!

[emrogers]

01:49 PM on 10/08/2009

Interesting that you would laud r@pe.

[dteg]

01:52 PM on 10/08/2009

rape, kidnapping , and breaking up families. I don't see anything good in any of them.

[lm945]

01:12 PM on 10/08/2009

This is news because...?

[emrogers]

01:22 PM on 10/08/2009

Ah, yes - the uninformed and uneducated like staying that way. Well, enjoy the world as it passes you by. Buh, bye...

[erykah]

12:47 PM on 10/08/2009

One more thing, African Americans carry the last name of their slave owner to this day. Okay, now let's pass a great health care bill.

[bigbluenat4]

12:53 PM on 10/08/2009

Hopefully a better one than Bauchus has put forward, UNIVERSAL FOR ALL!

[erykah]

12:45 PM on 10/08/2009

I am African American and an historian and I do not understand what the hoopla is all about. Michelle's story is an American story. Most African Americans, as Obama pointed out in his race speech, are descended from slaves and slave owners. This is old news. What is this coming up again?

[nicole473]

12:58 PM on 10/08/2009

Because it is a remarkable story of perseverance, endurance, and of a family who went from_slavery to the WH in five generations against remarkable odds.

It is also historical because Michelle Obama is our First Lady.

[DocSyracuse]

01:05 PM on 10/08/2009

Wonder what folks would be saying if the exact same story was done by foxnews? I doubt people would be so 'sympathetic' to their writers.

[unstuffedshirt]

04:32 PM on 10/08/2009

I think you just plagiarized me.

[emrogers]

01:23 PM on 10/08/2009

Huh? Why wouldn't it come out? I find it a pretty facinating story. Hard to believe you don't.

[bigbluenat4]

12:41 PM on 10/08/2009

I find it interesting how the tr0//ies are trying to turn this into a H @ t e fest against the president and the first lady. THIS IS HISTORY, It is an interesting Story about how things in America, Y0u know, AMERICA, Has changed. We still have a long way to go. Earlier someone compared the plight of the Irish American to the plight of the African American, No Dice. There is NO comparison, Except in the mind of people who want to justify their ig n0r @n ce and h @ t e. I am Irish, Scottish, I can trace my family back to county cork Ireland (where many of them still live). That is the difference, My ancestors came here because of famine and by choice. The First ladies family was DRAGGED here in chains. To want to H @ te on this article will only show the level of Ign 0 r@ nce that said H @ ter has

[tnkeating]

03:31 PM on 10/08/2009

Historically there is a mild comparison, many Irish came here in, and during the civil war before the potato famine and fought for the north with the promise of citizenship if they survived, many that came here were indentured servants (prettier word for slave) a sponsor took them in and paid there immigration fees for them agreeing to work off there debt for a period of 10 to 20 years, they recieved no pay and had to eat whatever was given them by there sponsor. Not quite slavery, but simular, slavery was outlawed in 1865 I think, indentured servents went on for years after the slaves were freed. So although they weren't called slaves, they were treated as such many years after slavery had ended.

[maiali]

04:13 AM on 10/11/2009

Indentured servitude occurred in the 17th century. There was no white indentured servitude in the 19th century,and certainly none after 1865. If you want to talk about involuntary servitude, let's talk about the widespread practice of holding black folks in various forms of bondage after Emancipation. Douglas Blackmon won a Pulitzer for his work that explores this period of history:
http://www.slaverybyanothername.com/