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RACIAL WEALTH GAP
Michelle Obama Exposed Affirmative Action of Generational Wealth
The racial hierarchy was laid bare and exposed
At the Democratic National Convention, former First Lady Michelle Obama delivered a speech supporting Vice President Kamala Harris, who made history as the first Black woman to lead a major party's presidential ticket. Perhaps the most memorable quote came from her response to former president Donald Trump — "Who's going to tell him that the job he is currently seeking might just be one of those black jobs?" While Trump claimed that immigrants were taking Black jobs, this was widely seen as racism on the campaign trail, as his message leaned into the notion that Black people should only perform menial labor. In Mrs. Obama's speech, she pushed back, making it clear that a Black job could be the presidency or any position a Black person wants to fill. Katie Rogers in The New York Times suggested she effectively "turned Trump's 'black jobs' line against him."
Another quote that's received far less attention centered on barriers to Black Americans' upward mobility. Nevertheless, the former first lady should be credited with exposing the racial hierarchy at a time when many are endorsing a colorblind worldview. Michelle Obama argued, "Most of us will never be afforded the grace of failing forward. We will never benefit from the affirmative action of generational wealth." The "us," she was undoubtedly referring to, are Black Americans, the group with the least wealth in the country. While her delivery was crystal clear, it may have been cloudy to those not up-to-speed on racial policy discourse. Isn't affirmative action designed to help Black people and other racial minorities, and what does any of this have to do with generational wealth, some may wonder? So, let's examine this matter in detail.
While affirmative action policies can alleviate discrimination impacting a variety of marginalized groups, most Americans assume these policies always center around "race." Some schools employ socioeconomic status or gender-based affirmative action policies. However, the only type the Supreme Court banned was race-based affirmative action policies. Conservative justices claimed these policies were unfair to non-Black applicants. However, their…
