Blogs and Stories
The Obama Girls' First Day of School
Charles Dharapak / AP
As the first daughters begin classes at Sidwell Friends, the author reflects on his time as one of its few black students.
Dear President-elect and Mrs. Obama,
You’ve been there. Princeton. Columbia. Harvard Law. The white-shoe law firm of Sidley Austin. The US Senate. You know what it’s like to be that raisin in the milk, the rare black face at an elite institution.
As your daughters come of age at the top prep school in our nation’s capital, they will likely face the same raisin-in-the-milk trials and awkwardness with which you are likely familiar and I most certainly am; I attended the same school, Sidwell Friends, for six years, graduating in 1995.
There are some important differences between my Sidwell experience and what your daughters will face, of course.
As your daughters come of age at the top prep school in our nation’s capital, they will likely face the same raisin-in-the-milk trials and awkwardness with which you are likely familiar.
I enrolled at Sidwell to avoid a public school where students regularly got stabbed. D.C. was overrun by crack dealers, photos of whom my mother liked to take from our living room window. Malia and Sasha, on the other hand, are transitioning from the Gothic halls of the University of Chicago Lab School.
My Sidwell fees were covered by scholarships, my part-time job, and the incredible sacrifices made by my mother. For you, paying Sidwell’s $30,000 tuition will likely require less creative financing.
The face of my household was a single black woman who never finished college. Your faces, on the other hand, are commemorated on memorabilia for sale during nearly every commercial break on cable television—and possibly on a new currency someday, if you play your cards right.
One thing you won’t have to worry about: Sidwell will assuredly meet the challenges of educating and providing security for the first daughters. Back in my day, Sidwell parents included three senators, the publishers of both The New York Times and Washington Post and, oh yeah, Bill and Hillary Clinton, whose pubescent progeny was two years behind me. The Roosevelts, Nixons, and Gores also sent their kids to Sidwell.
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OK. The article seems right but for some reason to me your timing is horrible. The man is (soon to be) the President of the United States. What exactly is Obama supposed to gain out of reading your article? You're just offering him advice on how to continue to divide and maintain the sad status quo of "us" and "them". I don't doubt every bit of your logic is right, I'm sure what you say will happen - will happen. Yes the white liberals are ignorant, but you seem to be a bit ignorant in your article too. Or maybe not ignorant, but you seem too beaten down by the past to have any hope left for the future. That's sad. We need to push ahead man. Just push ahead. It's a brave new world. Imperfect as hell, but we've got to just keep pushing ahead.
Let us all agree to leave these children alone. The personal scrutiny of the press and public is not in their best interest.
LOL YOU really have a problem with being black don't you? or perhaps you LIKE being black and don't want to let go of your ability to weld it as a weapon? For whatever reason you wrote this article it wasn't to be helpful to the Obama daughters and it wasn't to show how smart you are because anyone with a brain, and I excuse you from the class for this one, KNOWS the President of the United States daughters cannot be safe at a public school...much like you were not and thats why your Mother make the decision to send YOU there. Yet you would have the President do differently? LOL Your a piece of work and proof that even a good education can't educate everyone.
Why doesn't Michelle comb their hair before they leave for school? Lawdhammercy!
Bulldoglover100, did you actually READ the article? He didn't ask the president to not send his kids to Sidwell. Might want to know what you are LOLing before you LOL.
If I were Obama I would be scratching your name off my need to know list.
Bulldog lover and petdoctor were both pretty reactionary to this article. Do I detect animal lovers as the new enemy? Bad jokes aside. I think the two of you are missing the point. Being a black American IS a unique experience. Its not a weapon its just the truth. Maybe our racial differences are moving towards dissolving and will become no more important than being Italian or Irish has now become, but for now the differences of our culture are relevant in our everyday lives and in our childrearing and the way we are viewed in some classroom scenarios. His description of being a representative for your race in the classroom is not uncommon, i've experienced it. Its awkward. His article is about acknowledging the uncomfortable tensions and balancing act of going to an all white school without losing the value of your cultural self but also without excluding yourself from the other students for fear of being labelled the dreaded 'Oreo'. It would help alot of black people out a ton if everyone could accept that some things about our experiences can be unique and addressed openly without hollering about us trying to start a race war.
oh and mybeeswax, LMAO!
As I read this article I had a strong sensation that I've read a variation of this same theme many times before. It's tired. Let it go. The Obamas don't need your warmed-over, bitter-around-the-edges comedy routine. I'm sure they've learned how to navigate through life quite well by themselves and are doing a marvelous job of raising their children in a complicated world.
This fails on so many level, not the least of which is the comedic. Come on . . . there's a lot of material here (I grew up in DC, went to private and public school, traversing across similar worlds)! I can't believe all you can call up is boring crap that was stale in the 90's.
I've heard (and witnessed) your story many on many occasions - but wonder if it is so relevant in this case.
Would it have made a difference to your experience if your after-school routine involved popping into your Dad's (oval) office and the President of the USA taking an interest in how you day went? Or if he took you with him on business trips you got to meet heads of state etc.?
I would think the biggest concern of the Obama girl's attending that school comes within another statement you made: "Besides, isn't the point of being black at an elite prep school to collect as many white friends as possible for later use?" I dread to think how many of their cynical classmates (urged by their pushy parents) are looking to 'collect' them.
Somehow, I just don't find you in a position to be giving any advice. And lousy advice at that.
Maybe you were just trying to pimp your "comedy" video?
Some of y'all should really dig a bit deeper into the background of Baratunde Thurston. He doesnt come off as bitter to me and maybe its because I'm a frequent reader of his website Jackandjillpolitics.com. I think its good advice for any black parent or student about to enter a situation where they are most likely to be the only black person. I have been that black student in the all white environment and alot of the stuff Baratunde talks about happened to me and continues to happen even in 2009. If you dont like what he says then make sure you never treat anyone that way and tell your kids not to as well.
Um, hi. Have you been to Washington D.C. lately? Quick fact. Washington D.C. has the HIGHEST PERCENTAGE OF BLACK PEOPLE IN THE NATION.
Sidwell is evidently 13% black these days. While that's not as high as anyone would like it to be considering the racial makeup of the city, it's not like Malia and Sasha are going to be the only black kids in any of their classrooms. You're talking like most of these kids will think of black children as some new animal in the zoo. Are you freakin' kidding me?
I realize that it was rough times for you when you were a kid, and you're right - you were pretty damn brave to get through it. But times have changed. LET them change, by all that's holy. These girls shouldn't have to think they're going to be stared at wherever they go in school. And other kids shouldn't be told they ought to stare at them. That's only going to keep the racial stigma alive.
I wrote above that the press should leave the kids alone. That was before I heard that their parents let a Time Magazine photographer document their preparation for the 1st day of school.
The press can be no better on issues like this than the children's parents are.
i m not sure the poster can give any better advice to obama's kids than barack... this is a guy who has been there and done that in the the most elitist of institutions from prep school to harvard law school... besides its not as if being in a predominantly white setting will be a culture shock to sasha and malia
Thank you.
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