Michelle Obama’s Princeton Thesis – Her Black Values Revealed?

Michelle Obama’s senior thesis at Princeton was on the attitudes of black Princeton alumni and attempted to examine the following issues:

 

>Extent to which black alumni are comfortable interacting with black and whites

>Extent to which black alumni are motivated to benefit black communities in comparison to other things, such as themselves, their families, etc.

>The ideologies black alumni hold with respect to race relations between blacks and whites

>Feelings black alumni have toward the black lower class, such as feelings of obligation that they should help improve the lives of this particular group of blacks.

 

On Page 2 of her thesis, Michelle Obama states that regardless of her education, integration, assimilation into white culture, she will always be on the periphery of society, never becoming a full participant.

 

Michelle goes on to say she has acquired some white conservative values, namely getting accepted at a prestigious graduate school and getting a high paying corporate job.

 

Further along in her thesis, Michelle Obama argues for the Stokely Carmichael, or Black Power position that black must first close ranks, take pride in their blackness and black value system, before entering society as a whole. 

 Carmichael, Malcolm X and the Black Power Movement espoused a black first doctrine.  They wanted nothing less than a black nation within a nation.  This was seen as the means to gain political and economic power equal to that of whites. 

Michelle Obama then goes on to bemoan the separation of black studies from white studies.

 The way black studies were handled by Princeton in the mid-80’s may well have been a function of how the liberal Princeton professors and administrators buying into, and promoting the values of Carmichael and the Black Power Movement. 

On Page 26, Michelle Obama draws the conclusion that the more blacks interact with whites on an intellectual level, the less likely those blacks will value helping poor blacks.

 

Does this mean white values corrupt black values?

 

Michelle goes on in her thesis to say that the more blacks become integrated or assimilated into society as a whole, the less motivated those blacks are to benefit the black community and the less positive their attitudes toward lower class blacks.  She goes on to state that as blacks have become more integrated into white society, the more blacks have lost touch with black culture, with some blacks becoming so removed from their culture that they feel ashamed of that culture.

 

Michelle Obama had hoped that her findings would conclude that as a result of black’s time at Princeton, and despite a high degree of identification with white society, black Princeton alumni would maintain a level of identification with the black community and values.  Her findings did not support this possibility.

 Michelle Obama’s senior thesis would have come at a time in her life when her attitudes, values and view of the world would mostly be fixed.  Is her thesis a reflection of why she was attracted to the Rev. Jeremiah Wright and Trinity Church.  Does her thesis reflect deep seated feelings about whites and society as a whole.  And is this the basis for Michelle Obama not being proud of her country, until now?

Michelle Obama – Basis for Her “Not Proud” Statement

In Milwaukee on Monday, Michelle Obama said: “Let me tell you, for the first time in my adult life, I am really proud of my country. “

Michelle Obama’s views of her country were shaped first by her experiences in college and law school, but most importantly, by her long-term exposure to the teachings of her church.  Don’t believe her church teachings shape members opinions, take a hard look at the web site for Trinity Church and their values.

The following are directly from the site:

We are a congregation which is Unashamedly Black and Unapologetically Christian… Our roots in the Black religious experience and tradition are deep, lasting and permanent. We are an African people, and remain “true to our native land,” the mother continent, the cradle of civilization. God has superintended our pilgrimage through the days of slavery, the days of segregation, and the long night of racism. It is God who gives us the strength and courage to continuously address injustice as a people, and as a congregation. We constantly affirm our trust in God through cultural expression of a Black worship service and ministries which address the Black Community.

The Pastor as well as the membership of Trinity United Church of Christ is committed to a 10-point Vision:

1. A congregation committed to ADORATION.
2. A congregation preaching SALVATION.
3. A congregation actively seeking RECONCILIATION.
4. A congregation with a non-negotiable COMMITMENT TO AFRICA.
5. A congregation committed to BIBLICAL EDUCATION.
6. A congregation committed to CULTURAL EDUCATION.
7. A congregation committed to the HISTORICAL EDUCATION OF AFRICAN PEOPLE IN DIASPORA.
8. A congregation committed to LIBERATION.
9. A congregation committed to RESTORATION.
10. A congregation working towards ECONOMIC PARITY.

http://www.tucc.org/about.htm

Hillary Clinton – Bill Is Not A Racist

Political Night Train notes that Hillary’s comments in New Orleans do notdeny that Bill Clinton’s statements in South Carolina are racist.  Hillary says Bill may have meant what he said, or not, and that his words may or may not have been misinterpeted.  The issues in not so much whether the Clinton’s are racists, but that they are more than willing to use racist issues to win over voters.  Race baiting is more often used by Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton as a means to an end.  Now Bill Clinton has placed himself and his standing with Democrats with those who will use any tactic, including racism.

Clinton Offers Regrets for Spouse’s Remarks

By Julie Bosman

NEW ORLEANS – Appearing before a predominantly black audience here Saturday afternoon, Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton defended her husband’s legacy on race relations and offered an apology of sorts for comments he made in South Carolina several weeks ago that many people viewed as racially insensitive.

In a question-and-answer session after her speech at the State of the Black Union event, Mrs. Clinton was asked by Tavis Smiley, the host of the event, how she felt about “what some termed racial comments” by Mr. Clinton.

“I think there are enough of you here today who know him personally and know his heart,” she said, then stopped for a long pause. “If anyone was offended about anything that was said, whether it was meant or not, whether it was misinterpreted or not, then obviously I regret that.”

Last month, Mr. Clinton was criticized widely for comparing Senator Barack Obama’s victory in South Carolina to Jesse Jackson’s primary wins there, which depended heavily on demographics and Mr. Jackson’s African-American support. “Jesse Jackson won South Carolina in ‘84 and ‘88,” Mr. Clinton told an audience in Columbia, S.C. “Jackson ran a good campaign. And Obama ran a good campaign here.”

Mrs. Clinton’s brief appearance in New Orleans was not a traditional campaign stop, considering that Louisiana has already held its contest – on Feb. 9 – and voted decisively for Mr. Obama, who won by 22 points.

According to a campaign spokesman, Mrs. Clinton had agreed to attend the event after bumping into Mr. Smiley several weeks ago in Los Angeles.

That was before she racked up 11 straight losses in primary states. So while Mrs. Clinton may not have anticipated that she would still be furiously campaigning at this point, she kept her promise to appear, squeezing it in to a planned 18-hour day that will take her from Ohio to New Orleans to Houston to Washington, D.C.

Her campaign announced Saturday afternoon that she would hold a last-minute town hall event in Houston with Representative Sheila Jackson-Lee Saturday evening.

http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/02/23/clinton-offers-regrets-for-spouses-remarks/