About Time

Heartened to see my alma mater make this change, and even prouder of the students who’ve been advocating for this kind of change on campus for years. Let’s keep finding ways to be more inclusive to all students—at Princeton and at every school across the country. https://t.co/jQd0TmJe1r

— Michelle Obama (@MichelleObama) June 29, 2020

In 2015, student activists occupied President Eisgruber’s office, which led to the creation of the Wilson Legacy Review Committee. The committee and the board recommended reforms to make #PrincetonU more inclusive and more honest about its history, but kept Wilson’s name.

— Princeton University (@Princeton) June 27, 2020

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As the tragic killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and Rayshard Brooks drew renewed attention to the long and damaging history of racism in America, the board reconsidered the Committee's conclusions and convened a special meeting on June 26.

— Princeton University (@Princeton) June 27, 2020

Wilson’s racism was significant and consequential even by the standards of his own time, taking America backward in its pursuit of justice. He not only acquiesced in but added to the persistent practice of racism in this country, a practice that continues to do harm today.

— Princeton University (@Princeton) June 27, 2020

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#PrincetonU is part of an America that has too often disregarded, ignored, or excused racism, allowing the persistence of systems that discriminate against Black people.

— Princeton University (@Princeton) June 27, 2020

Princeton History

This Princeton alum is so proud of you, Nick! Congratulations on becoming valedictorian—and making history. I have a feeling this is just the beginning for you, and I cannot wait to see everything you continue to achieve. https://t.co/b9IVCg05SP

— Michelle Obama (@MichelleObama) May 11, 2020

Thank you everyone for the warm regards! My journey has only been possible because of the countless people who have supported and inspired me along the way. Looking forward to sharing my speech as Princeton's 2020 Valedictorian on May 31st!

— Nick André G. Johnson (@NickAGJohnson) May 8, 2020

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https://twitter.com/menelik_graham/status/1258603783178903552

Michelle Obama Is Everything!

Michelle Obama: Whatever comes next, I hope "I embrace new opportunities ... I hope that I am always growing into the most compassionate, kind-hearted person that I can be. And I hope that I can use what I’ve learned to lift up as many people as possible." https://t.co/zP8cNxiGkN

— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) August 3, 2019

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I was just 2 years old when Michelle Obama became first lady. When I was growing up, she was always just there, smiling on the covers of magazines, surrounded by groups of kids in the White House gardens, holding hands with her husband. At that time, I didn’t have a concept of who she really was. But as I got older I began to realize how important she was—and the impact she was having on my generation. I learned more about her in Becoming, her memoir, in which she tells the story of her journey from Chicago’s South Side to the White House. Her voice is honest and often vulnerable, especially when she experiences change, like going to a new high school or becoming the first lady. Frequently she asks herself, “Am I good enough?” But she is also mesmerizing and determined, asserting herself as a force from a young age. Michelle Obama doesn’t use her book to preach, though. Instead she shares her ideas with the world through storytelling. As a journalist, that’s how I communicate too—by knocking on doors and asking people to share their stories. And so when I got the chance to interview her, my goal was simple: to uncover more about the ideas behind her stories and how they can inspire us all, regardless of our politics.

More here

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Deeper Than Numbers

https://twitter.com/davidgura/status/1107721460217450496

Dear Michelle

Becoming Me, Becoming Us, Becoming More

.@MichelleObama opens up to @RobinRoberts in revealing new interview; says she felt "lost and alone” after suffering miscarriage 20 years ago. Watch @ABC special covering her journey to motherhood and more from her memoir, "Becoming," Sunday night 9/8c. https://t.co/ONXwpuZ3WF pic.twitter.com/1Teb5ycWIe

— Good Morning America (@GMA) November 9, 2018

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Krissah Thompson: In Revealing New Memoir, Michelle Obama Candidly Shares Her Story

As Michelle Obama’s highly anticipated memoir “Becoming” arrives, it’s clear that the former first lady is occupying a space in the culture beyond politics. “I don’t think anybody will be necessarily prepared to read a memoir like this — especially coming from a first lady,” said Shonda Rhimes, the television producer, who read an advance copy of Obama’s book. The first-lady memoir is a rite of passage, but Obama’s is different by virtue of her very identity. “Becoming” takes her historic status as the first black woman to serve as first lady and melds it deftly into the American narrative. She writes of the common aspects of her story and — as the only White House resident to count an enslaved great-great-grandfather as an ancestor — of its singular sweep. “The whole [birther] thing was crazy and mean-spirited, of course, its underlying bigotry and xenophobia hardly concealed. But it was also dangerous, deliberately meant to stir up the wingnuts and kooks,” she writes. “What if someone with an unstable mind loaded a gun and drove to Washington? What if that person went looking for our girls? Donald Trump, with his loud and reckless innuendos, was putting my family’s safety at risk. And for this I’d never forgive him.”

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.@MichelleObama to @RobinRoberts: "I think it's the worst thing that we do to each other as women, not share the truth about our bodies." Watch the @ABC special covering her journey to motherhood and more from her memoir, "Becoming," Sunday night 9/8c. https://t.co/ONXwpuZ3WF pic.twitter.com/IoWLQSLuGd

— Good Morning America (@GMA) November 9, 2018

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She divides the memoir into three parts: Becoming Me, Becoming Us, Becoming More. The first section is a deep, often sociological exploration of Chicago and the people and institutions there. Its textured discussion of gentrification, public education, race and class are reminders that Obama majored in sociology and minored in African American studies at Princeton University. The second section, Becoming Us, is a romp through her romance with Barack Obama, starting a family with him and her search for work that she loved. It begins with words that have never before been written by a first lady about her man: “As soon as I allowed myself to feel anything for Barack, the feelings came rushing — a toppling blast of lust, gratitude, fulfillment, wonder.” She also shares intimate details for the first time, for instance, that she and her husband had trouble getting pregnant, suffered a miscarriage, and that both daughters were conceived through in vitro fertilization. And that she did a great deal of this while her husband was away serving in the state legislature, leaving her to administer the shots that are a part of that process herself.

More here

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A+ First Lady

https://twitter.com/wokeluisa/status/939980928834617344

#BlackHistoryMonth: The Incomparable First Lady Michelle Obama

https://twitter.com/abedelrey/status/835523750812598272

https://twitter.com/abedelrey/status/835524726734848001

The First Family Receives The White House Christmas Tree

First Lady Michelle Obama follows her daughters Malia Obama and Sasha Obama, as they arrive to welcome the Official White House Christmas Tree to the White House

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First Lady Michelle Obama watches as daughter Malia Obama, adjusts the collar for her sister Sasha Obama, as they walk out to welcome the Official White House Christmas Tree to the White House. This year’s White House Christmas Tree, which will be on display in the Blue Room, is an 18.5-foot Douglas Fir grown by Chris Botek, a second generation Christmas Tree Farmer from Crystal Spring Tree Farm in Lehighton, Penn. Dogs Bo Obama, left, and Sunny Obama also participated

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What we missed

Marian Robinson (FLOTUS’s mother), First Lady Michelle Obama, Kathleen Biden (Hunter Biden’s wife), Maisy Biden, Sasha Obama, and a friend attend a women’s college basketball game between the Princeton Tigers and the American University Eagles at Bender Arena on November 23, 2014 in Washington, DC. The First Lady’s niece, Leslie Robinson, was playing for Princeton.

Leslie Robinson #45