With genetic advancements, may soon be able to select race or skin pigmentation of child

If you could, would you rather be black or white?

Michelle Obama – senior thesis at Princeton

CBS News

I have found that at Princeton no matter how liberal and open-minded some of my White professors and classmates try to be toward me, I sometimes feel like a visitor on campus; as if I really don't belong."

white cultural and social structure that will only allow me to remain on the periphery of society; never becoming a full participant."

Not sure how to react at that – disappointment that it felt that way or anger at her for allowing self to feel that way or surprise that it felt that way – not sure

Is it that hard to be black in America? Really?

Granted written in 1985 – but is it still enormously easier to be white

Spent a lot of time on planes these past two weeks

Flying to GRR this past week – on one of flights seated next to fellow “Terry”

About my age – in fact, turns out he lives near me

Great guy – good conversation

Wanted to hear more about this radio show

Discussed topics – mentioned last week's show – if kid turns out to be gay

“I know Church views it as wrong, but if made that way, and no one would choose to be gay just like I sure would not have chosen to be black...”

Comment really struck me

I asked Terry – do you really mean that? If you could, you would have chosen to be white?

He said - “Not complaining, I love my life. But it would have been easier if I had been white. Easier for me than my parents. And I hope it will be easier for my kids than it has been for me. But I worry for them. Not easy being black.”

Wow – never actually heard someone say that before who actually meant it

He was not trying to be dramatic or profound – it was just an honest deep expression of how he has experienced life

We talk about this a lot on our team

Ron, Andy and I in particular – three different vantage points

Ron and I are same age – Andy is 25 – that makes him different

Ron is black and I am white – and we all love each other but we look at things very differently

So would you? If you could, would you make your child black? White?

Just darker skin or lighter skin?

Because I may be one of the few people who actually thinks we are human beings

Quirks, desires, hopes, dreams, and fears

Image of God – not a cliche

Makes no difference to me – but to a lot of folks it matters

Would you? Could you? Most importantly, WHY?

This is real life and faith



MISC

Obama, who concentrated in sociology and received a certificate in African-American studies, examined how the attitudes of black alumni have changed over the course of their time at the University. "Will they become more or less motivated to benefit the Black community?" Obama wrote in her thesis. (CBS news)



After surveying 89 black graduates, Obama concluded that attending the University as an undergraduate decreased the extent to which black alumni identified with the black community as a whole.



"As I enter my final year at Princeton, I find myself striving for many of the same goals as my White classmates -- acceptance to a prestigious graduate school or a high-paying position in a successful corporation," she wrote, citing the University's conservative values as a likely cause.



"Predominately White universities like Princeton are socially and academically designed to cater to the needs of the White students comprising the bulk of their enrollments," she said, noting the small size of the African-American studies department and that there were only five black tenured professors at the University across all departments.



Obama studied the attitudes of black Princeton alumni to determine what effect their time at Princeton had on their identification with the black community. "My experiences at Princeton have made me far more aware of my 'Blackness' than ever before," she wrote in her introduction. "I have found that at Princeton no matter how liberal and open-minded some of my White professors and classmates try to be toward me, I sometimes feel like a visitor on campus; as if I really don't belong."

Regardless of the circumstances underwhich I interact with whites at Princeton, it often seems as if, to them, I will always be black first and a student second."

Obama writes that the path she chose by attending Princeton would likely lead to her "further integration and/or assimilation into a white cultural and social structure that will only allow me to remain on the periphery of society; never becoming a full participant."



Andy – stuffwhitepeoplelike.com – Wrigley, Colbert – honestly, Selfishly happy to be white

Ron – experiences

David – business school prof – highest degrees from best schools - “crass” to call folks black and white – prefers A-A and Euro-A