First Lady Michelle Obama Uses Race Card On Museums And Concert Halls — Places Known As ‘White Spaces’

It is very clear there is a racial divide among American citizens. As of late, the divide sees only black and white, and a primary example is in recent police shooting situations where the officer happens to be white and the victim happens to be black. Just this century alone, there have been four major incidents surrounding color including Trayvon Martin and George Zimmerman, Michael Brown and Darren Wilson, the Eric Garner “I can’t breathe” situation, and most recently, Freddie Gray and six Baltimore cops.

However, the black vs. white race card has now segued into other situations, and the most recent segue was done by First Lady Michelle Obama. Apparently, Michelle claims that museums and concert halls are places non-white visitors don’t feel welcome.

According to BizPac Review, Michelle Obama attended a dedication ceremony for the new Whitney Museum in New York City’s meat packing district on Monday, May 4, 2015. During the event, Michelle gave a speech to those who attended on how she grew up thinking such places like museums and concert halls were not for someone who looked like her.

“You see, there are so many kids in this country who look at places like museums and concert halls and other cultural centers and they think to themselves, well, that’s not a place for me, for someone who looks like me, for someone who comes from my neighborhood. In fact, I guarantee you that right now, there are kids living less than a mile from here who would never in a million years dream that they would be welcome in this museum.

“And growing up on the South Side of Chicago, I was one of those kids myself. So I know that feeling of not belonging in a place like this. And today, as first lady, I know how that feeling limits the horizons of far too many of our young people.”

Apparently, Michelle Obama’s speech at the Whitney Museum went unnoticed until a local radio host at WYNC reported on “Museums as White Spaces.”

From the in-depth discussion, it seems that Michelle Obama’s words do have weight to them, through it isn’t exactly racism. Instead, the discussion talks about “threshold fear,” the sense of discomfort upon walking into an unfamiliar and potentially threatening space. However, by what architects have said, such can be based on race, but most of the time, it has a lot to do with status (I am not wealthy enough to be in such a place, I don’t know formal manners to be in such a place, etc.).

What Michelle Obama said does make sense in association to the stereotypes surrounding race and status sociologically. What might be the issue, as detailed primarily from conservative news sites reporting on this, is the fact Michelle said such during a time when racial tensions are quite high.

[Image via Alex Wong/Getty]