Michelle Obama has always been headstrong when it comes to discussing social, racial and political opinion. But this time, she has opened up about her personal struggles with racial discrimination, both in and out of the White House.
In the latest episode of The Michelle Obama Podcast, Obama was joined by her guests—and close friends—Kelly Dibble, Denielle Pemberton-Heard, and Dr. Sharon Malone, to discuss the power of friendships.
However, the conversation took a sharp turn when the women recalled a racial profiling incident that occurred in Central Park back in July.
“That incident in Central Park, which infuriated all of us, as we watched it, it was not unfamiliar,” Obama said. “I mean, this is what the white community doesn’t understand about being a person of colour in this nation, is that there are daily slights. In our workplaces, where people talk over you, or people don’t even see you.”
She then went on to reveal that during her eight years serving as First Lady of the United States, she admitted that she could recount “a number of stories” of white people treating her as invisible.
“When I’ve been completely incognito during the eight years in the White House, walking the dogs on the canal, people will come up and pet my dogs, but will not look me in the eye. They don’t know it’s me,” she recalled.
“That is so telling of how white America views people who are not like them, like we don’t exist. And when we do exist, we exist as a threat. And that’s exhausting.”
Recalling one incident in particular, Obama opened up about an incident of racial profiling that involved Pemberton-Heard, Obama and her two daughters Malia and Sasha, as the four women went to Haagen-Dasz for an ice-cream.
“We had just finished taking the girls to a soccer game. We were stopping to get ice cream and I had told the Secret Service to stand back, because we were trying to be normal, trying to go in,” Obama remembered.
“There was a line, and… when I’m just a Black woman, I notice that white people don’t even see me. They’re not even looking at me.”
She continued, “So I’m standing there with two little Black girls, another Black female adult, they’re in soccer uniforms, and a white woman cuts right in front of us to order. Like, she didn’t even see us. The girl behind the counter almost took her order. And I had to stand up ’cause I know [Pemberton-Heard] was like, ‘Well, I’m not gonna cause a scene with Michelle Obama.’ So I stepped up and I said, ‘Excuse me? You don’t see us four people standing right here? You just jumped in line?'”
The Becoming author added: “She didn’t apologise, she never looked me in my eye, she didn’t know it was me. All she saw was a Black person, or a group of Black people, or maybe she didn’t even see that. Because we were that invisible.”
In light of the Black Lives movement, Obama opened up about how she has leaned on her friendship groups, particularly the Black women in it, for support.
“My girlfriend group, while it is diverse, it has been so important for me to have Black women in my crew,” she said.
“There’s just a certain relief that comes when you don’t have to walk into your friend group and explain yourself.” She concluded, “My group of female friends aren’t calling me to say, ‘What can I do?’ They’re calling me to say, ‘How you doin’ girl? Let’s talk.'”
