Michelle Obama's College Roommate: "I Was Horrified" To Live With A Black Person

Catherine Donnelly shopped at Kmart, settled into her dorm room and soaked up the Gothic stone buildings where, over the next four years, she would grow into her own woman. But her first day at Princeton held a surprise, too. And Donnelly knew it would mean confronting the past.

She walked into the historic Nassau Inn that evening and delivered the news to her mother, Alice Brown. "I was horrified," recalled Brown, who had driven her daughter up from New Orleans. Brown stormed down to the campus housing office and demanded Donnelly be moved to another room.

Read the whole story here.

Comments

[Mattie]

That would certainly explain her poor me attitude!

[beboy]

I love Mrs. Obama's Aunt Esther imitation.

[madnana]

When I was at University of Illinois in 1965 there were three hundred black students and over 30,000 white students (whatever "white means. Better to say, people who were not identified as black?). In my second year my roommate and I were friends with a young black woman from Chicago who was the only black girl in the dorm. Although no one ever said anything, it was a small dorm and noticeable that my roommate and I sat alone with her at meals. She was smart, musically talented, funny and a great friend. She left our third year and I lost track of her. I now have mixed grandchildren. Racism is still as much a part of this society as apple pie and the flag. This year in Springfield, Ill. we commemorate the 1908 white race riot whose ostensible cause reads like "To Kill a Mockingbird". Yes, things have changed. But if you have black family members, it is"up close and personal". Obama's analysis of the direction politicians and corporations have encouraged economically disadvantaged white people to take in blaming illegal aliens and blacks for their ills has a long history in this country. It may not have been wise for him to day it in blue collar country, but it dos not make it less true.

[xmw]

WELL PUT. IT IS A FACT THAT WHEN YOU HAVE GROUPS WHO ARE AT THE BOTTOM OF THE ECONOMICAL LADDER VIEING FOR A FOOTHOLD, THERE WILL BE TENSIONS. THIS IS APPARENT WHEN SPEAKING OF BLACK/LATINOS. THE "BLACK BROWN DIVIDE" AS IT HAS COME TO BE KNOWN. FROM A SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE, WHITES WHO HAVE ALWAYS DOMINATED OVER BOTH GROUPS POLITICALLY, ECONOMICALLY...ARE RESENTFUL WHEN THEY FIND THEMSELVES IN THE SAME SITUATION. RACISM AND THE ECONOMY ARE INEXTRICABLY CONNECTED.

[MizFlagPin]

Very well said.

Sociology teaches that in areas where wealth is held by a few, racism is more rampant. In other parts of the world, it may be a different type of 'ism'.

If we get past the our differences, we'll see that as working class Americans we share much common.

[ceasenake]

Michelle, playing the "victim of racism" card because she ran across an unenlightened southerner from NO back in 1980 ...yawn.

Black on Black crime or street violence is not something she has much to say about, though - or gangs.

Meanwhile, in her home town of Chicago JUST THIS WEEKEND SO FAR 6 people have been shot dead and 26 have been wounded by gunshots.

http://cbs2chicago.com/local/chicago.weekend.violence.2.704117.html

Probably they can will the recent weekend record set in Chicago March 29th-30th (3 weeks ago) when 7 people were killed.

http://www.suntimes.com/news/metro/869533,wkndviolence033108.article

[xmw]

ARE YOU TOTALLY CLUELESS??? YOU WANT TO REDUCE MICHELLES POSSIBLE VIEWS TO ONE INCIDENT!!! WHY NOT JUST SAY RACISM DOESN'T EXIST. JEEZ!!

[DAVESEAN]

you must be illiterate....reading without comprehension

[riverhouse]

You'd have to be nuts, or worse, to think that was the only occasion in which Michelle Obama encountered racism. Only the KKKers who subscribe to the happy slave interpretation would hold such an opinion.

[leavesofgrass]

Ok...your post shows that this is where reading comprehension cannot be over stressed too much...Michelle Obama DECLINED to be interviewed...the entire article is on the bigotted mother and daughter that felt they were too good to have Michelle RIchardson Obama be roomates with the daughter.

IT clearly indicates their continuiong ignorance when they re-considered because now Michelle is famous and potentially the first African American First Lady. THe daughter laments not having any black friends (eyes rolling) but the mother's rebuttal is that she had a chance with Michelle Obama....the very roomate that they so objected to that the mother tried to get her room assignment changed and did.

[brooklyncitizen]

Sigh. Stupid white people. America's racism still boggles the mind for those of us that aren't American. Truly don't 'get it" .

[leavesofgrass]

It still boggles the mind of those of us that are American.

[xmw]

HERE, HERE!!! I DON'T GET IT. WHAT IS THE POINT OF RACISM???? HOW CAN PEOPLE BE SO SELF DESTRUCTIVE???

[shutterbug80]

those who are racist forget that we are all of us, a shade or 2 of brown.

[GrainOSand]

Racism --its an affected thing and you would not understand unless you have been affected.

[loper2008]

a really fascinating article. I think Michelle Obama is going to be a great first lady.

[puritanslive]

Race is a tricky issue in this election. Only o'bama can profit from race. Anyone else., will get clobbered. O'bama can play race in many ways. His biiter comment was his effort at sterotyping small town whites.......But no one can mention anything about Blacks in the ghettos,,,,,,Black on black crime, The black drop out rate, The black prison rate,......

Moreover, no one can mention anything about AIDS,,,,,,or Aids in Africa.........No one can mention his middle name """"""HUSSEin"...........If you say anything critical.............you get pummeled.................

O"bama keeps the debate on his own issues.

The Talk Radio .....fox news......cannot lay a glove on him........They can talk all they want...........They will have no impact............Hannity......Rush Limbaugh...........all have attacked........yet O'bama is still front and center...............................

The liberal media has two problems.........1. turning every critical analysis of o'bama aginst the person making it......and discrediting the person in any way they can.........2.confusing the issues..........and setting up programs where O'bama gets soft questions.....................

[brooklyncitizen]

Newsflash: No such thing as the "liberal media".

[Ping]

puritanslive said:

"His biiter comment was his effort at sterotyping small town whites.."

But if you heard his entire statement in context, you would know that Obama was actually trying to say that people in Pennsylvania are not racist.

[tdpubs]

You seem to have an issue with race. Senator Obama did not mention the race of the small town inhabitants. All people from small towns aren't white. As a matter of fact, xenophobia is not only a white trait.
If you want to comment on the actions and issue surrounding Senator Obama, I remember this being a free speech nation. The issue is general character assassination used by the conservatives who cannot use the real issues to compete for votes.
I don't remember John McCain's middle name; do you? I've never seen a flag pin on Senator McCain's jacket; have you? I seem to remember that Senator McCain left his ailing wife to have an affair with a much younger and very rich woman. It was Senator John McCain who had a Florida campaign chair who was arrested for propositioning anunder cover cop in a bathroom. It's John McCain who has another campaign chair who's under investigation in Nevada for corruption.
Senator McCain is worth over 100 million dollars. He doesn't have to worry about health insurance and a mortgage. We don't hear much about John McCain and his issues these days.

It's not really about race, it's about the multi faceted and complex issue surrounding the social and political symbols we tend to use. It's only been 150 years since the vast majority of African Americans in the country was considered 3/5th human. Believe it or not, that's not a very long time.

peace.

[Daly]

actually BHO mentioned black youth too but it is hard to know what he said when one relies on others like Hannity, Limbaugh fox or anyone else to tell you what you can easily read for yourself.

To help you out there is no reference to WHITE there is more but I will let you seek it out or you can wait until Fox tells you.

"You go into these small towns in Pennsylvania and, like a lot of small towns in the Midwest, the jobs have been gone now for 25 years and nothing"s replaced them ¦ And it"s not surprising then they get bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren"t like them or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations."

[WeekendWarrior]

When did he say "small town whites" were bitter? I thought he said small town Pennsylvanians were bitter because of loss of jobs in their communities. Do you mean small town Blacks are not bitter and don't care whether the jobs leave or not. I'm confused?

[RoseFromPhila]

Okay, we hear how Michelle was middle class and Barack was raised by a white mother on foodstamps and his father had left when he was two and blah, blah, blah we get the past but now look at them Ã’ook at them now.>>>>> THEY ARE "ELITIEST" how about the back door remarks with the SanFran group as well as the dinner party he says he and Michelle never attended for a close friend of Rezko and he did as it came out last week at the Rezko hearings..... he is so pulling the wool over the eyes of many.....

[riverhouse]

Michelle Obama was not raised in the middle class. Her family was basic working class on the south side of Chicago. She just happens to be smarter than most people and made her way with student loans and scholarships. And, if you'd tell yourself the truth, you'd realize that Obama is the most honest, straight up politician that has crossed our paths in memory.

[TheWesternBreed]

They are so "ELITIEST" that they can even spell "elitist." Shame on both of them.

[urbanscorpio88]

LoL

[PoliticalEnnui]

Wow, and HRC supporters have the temerity to claim that Obama supporters are the ones full of reactive hate. Are you seriously going to argue that Obama is more politically connected than the wife of Bill Clinton, daughter of Hugh Rodham, valedictorian of Wellsley?

[riverhouse]

Michelle Obama makes it quite clear that she was not raised in the middle class. Her family was working class on the south side of Chicago. I have to wonder if you know what 'elitist' means. The Obamas are far from elitist. Hillary, who has lived in a government bubble for her entire adult life as Bill Clinton's wife, is the $109 million elitist with two multimillion dollar homes. McCain with a wife who is heir to $100 million and who owns 8 homes is an elitist. McCain and Hillary are full membership in the good old boys club of Washington, DC.

[kardwell]

If education in this country were affordable and accessible equally to everyone but the privileged few, and spawning an original thought and point of view was actually encouraged, perhaps some of us wouldn't mislabel those who are intellectually advantaged "elitist." However, we don't live in a country that values intelligence, contemplation and wit. We live in a country addicted to the toxic waste we call American *culture*.

[tdpubs]

Elitism is not about money. It's about class. I want my president to be elite. Not insensitive, but the best. That's what elite means. By the way, I'm elite but frikken broke right now.
C'mon folks the conservatives are playing you all like flutes. The issue is not who's more liberal, who's more wealthy or who wears flag pins.
Both Hill and Obama will change this country if given the chance. it's up to us to stick together rather than fall for the crap initiated by the media.
e pluribus unum

[joeinvt]

The Obamas made 4.2 million last year. Maybe to you that's small change, but to most people in large as well as small towns, that's real money. Furthermore, the most important comparison is how much were the Clinton's worth when they were Obama's age, not how they compare now?

[Adelwolf]

Most of that money was from book revenues, if I remember correctly. These days, anyone can write a book, and a Best Seller, too.

And what did they do with that money?

Gave a nice chunk of it to their church, and other charitiable organizations.

Paid a lot of taxes.

Oh, and finally paid off their STUDENT LOANS.

Sorry, that doesn't sound elitist to me - it sounds like years of hard work finally paying off.

[Ping]

Compared to the $20 million the Clintons supposedly made in 2007 the Obamas are positively poor.

[eej]

I have great respect for Donnelly, because she changed, and because she is honest enough to come out with this story.

People can grow and change. It's a good person who will do it.

[kardwell]

Read a little closer, friend. They still would have a huge problem with bi-racial marriage. All that has changed is that Michelle Obama will be our next First Lady and Donnelly wanted to leverage the situation for her 15 minutes of fame.

[candlegravity]

Agreed. I think this story is a good one. It really highlights how humans can change, and shouldn't be judged by those whom find them not up to speed. I strongly disagreed with her mothers charge that she couldn't cross the line of inter-racial marriage, but if I really think about it hey, that's better than what her father had taught her. If we think along the lines Barack mentioned in his race speech, then it's important to keep in mind that movement and change is happening no matter how incremental, and that we must focus on that rather than the change that's not happening or perhaps the frustration of some that it's not happening fast enough.

[SEQUOIABISON]

Michelle will make a great first lady, she has an incredible loving personality and will add considerable class to the white house again.

[hillarysupporter]

Not!

[bitabingbitabangbitaboom]

Mrs. Murphy: Help you two?
Elwood: Do you have any white bread ma'am?
Mrs. Murphy: Yeah.
Elwood: I'll have some toasted white bread please.
Mrs. Murphy: You want butter or jam on that, honey?
Elwood: No ma'am, dry.
Jake: Do you have any fried chicken ma'am?
Mrs. Murphy: Best damned chicken in the state.
Jake: Bring me four fried chickens and a Coke.
Mrs. Murphy: You want chicken wings or chicken legs?
Jake: Four fried chickens and a Coke.
Elwood: And some dry white toast please.
Mrs. Murphy: Ya'all want anything to drink with that?
Elwood: No ma'am.
Jake: A Coke.
Mrs. Murphy: Be right back

[clumberfeet]

"Typical white person"