Ruby Bridges

Affirmative Action

I wanted to share some of my thoughts on today's Supreme Court decision on affirmative action: pic.twitter.com/Wa6TGafzHV

— Michelle Obama (@MichelleObama) June 29, 2023

Affirmative action was never a complete answer in the drive towards a more just society. But for generations of students who had been systematically excluded from most of America’s key institutions—it gave us the chance to show we more than deserved a seat at the table.

In the… https://t.co/Kr0ODATEq3

— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) June 29, 2023

"With let-them-eat-cake obliviousness, today, the majority pulls the ripcord and announces 'colorblindness for all' by legal fiat. But deeming race irrelevant in law does not make it so in life."

Ketanji Brown Jackson's dissent: https://t.co/kgzo6iofkS pic.twitter.com/f4y6Ocjfzi

— philip lewis (@Phil_Lewis_) June 29, 2023

They left it in military schools. Judge Jackson says: “The court has come…to the…conclusion that racial diversity in higher education is only worth potentially preserving insofar as it might be needed to prepare Black Americans…for success in the bunker, not the boardroom…”

— noliwe rooks (@nrookie) June 29, 2023

https://twitter.com/DevitaDavison/status/1674474757364785167

When I was 8, my private christian school used test scores to place kids into a special gifted program. I was the only third-grader to qualify for it at my majority-white school. My white peers complained.

The program never ran again after that year.

It's never about "merit". https://t.co/ofP8GAS4TP

— Khadijah Costley White (@khadastrophic) June 30, 2023

https://twitter.com/Ebonyteach/status/1674647966869516294

My neighbor, who did not know what an HBCU was, was convinced I got into Howard University because of affirmative action 😭The details didn't matter — he was just mad that I got *something* that I couldn't possibly deserve https://t.co/dwSnAEqc3m

— Jenée (@jdesmondharris) June 30, 2023

https://twitter.com/Ryan_Ken_Acts/status/1674461059409752082

My sister had this white girl in her college try to tell her she only got in because of affirmative action. My sister went “I was valedictorian of my school and you’re asking me for help on your homework so who really shouldn’t be here?” Girl never asked her for shit again LMFAO

— Panic! At The TL (@Puff_Iya) June 29, 2023

Trayvon Martin: 10 Years

It’s hard to believe it's been 10 years since Trayvon Martin was killed. Leading up to this anniversary, I reflected on what his death meant to me as president, as a Black parent, and as a Black man—as well as what it meant for our country. pic.twitter.com/Ywt22dOGup

— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) February 26, 2022

The Black Mother

"That was the dilemma and continued to be the dilemma of the Black mother."

Former first lady @MichelleObama reflects on the long legacy of Emmett Till's murder for Black families in America. https://t.co/eYY5G0mWrN pic.twitter.com/inHwLmy0Ss

— ABC News (@ABC) January 6, 2022

Michelle And Jenna

Hatred And Violence

Even as we’ve battled the pandemic, we’ve continued to neglect the longer-lasting epidemic of gun violence in America. Although the shooter’s motive is not yet clear, the identity of the victims underscores an alarming rise in anti-Asian violence that must end.

— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) March 17, 2021

Yesterday's shootings are another tragic reminder that we have far more work to do to put in place commonsense gun safety laws and root out the pervasive patterns of hatred and violence in our society.

— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) March 17, 2021

Michelle and I pray for the victims, their families, everyone grieving these needless and devastating killings—and we urge meaningful action that will save lives.

— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) March 17, 2021

As if these things aren't related and based on centuries of sexualized and submissive stereotypes of Asian women. White supremacy is rooted in misogyny and racism. https://t.co/C42KyqTGIP

— Millie Tran (@millie) March 17, 2021

When men frame a murderer's actions in terms of him "having a bad day" I can't help but hear them telling the world that they themselves are one bad day away from murdering women, & demanding empathy & recognition for that fact.

— Amal El-Mohtar (@tithenai) March 17, 2021

https://twitter.com/tressiemcphd/status/1372209829956173828

https://twitter.com/MsPackyetti/status/1372277423052627978

It’s not economic anxiety, diabetes, or sex addiction. It’s racial hatred. Stop playing on my phone.

— Your Tiny Journalist Friend. (@thewayoftheid) March 17, 2021

It’s The Racism

https://twitter.com/ESMirelle/status/1367855894235652098

Everything is tied to racism in America https://t.co/z4sZBgCHtH

— nope (@PrinceHAK33M) March 7, 2021

The Past Is Prologue

https://twitter.com/theblackdetour/status/1353847694549282816

https://twitter.com/tweetlikemaya/status/1354177853705908226

The Meritocracy Scam

https://twitter.com/nhannahjones/status/1357324991889633285

https://twitter.com/nhannahjones/status/1357339846973394955 https://twitter.com/nhannahjones/status/1357340099969622021 https://twitter.com/nhannahjones/status/1357341348890742794 https://twitter.com/itsafronomics/status/1357334774159974402

Building On A Legacy

When Jackie Robinson faced down slurs, spiked cleats, and pitches aimed at his head—and stole home anyway—he didn't only change baseball. He changed the world and paved the way for others, including me. On his birthday, we’re called not only to honor that legacy but build on it. pic.twitter.com/d2KDDZNWEN

— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) January 31, 2021