The Black Women/White Women Battle Continues - The Secret That Catherine Donnelly Should Have Kept To Herself
On last week's podcast, Dr. Weems challenged black women to think about their frustrations with white women and how we need to re-think our positions on those relationships. She has followed up on her wonderful blog Something Within with a special guest posting on the topic.
I agree with Dr. Weems that the poor relations between black and white women need to examined, discussed, and possibly redeemed, but I am not hopeful on the subject. I am just not a believer. I have spent so many years now, just dealing with white women on an individual basis and still being repeatedly disappointed at their failures to "get it" on the most basic level.
I do understand the pressures and problems that white women face and I don't think black women corner the market on oppression and frustration. I am well aware that after "feeling burned" black women are more likely to retreat from white women than to keep trying to connect.
Yet with that said, I find myself asking, do white women EVER consider black women before they do something involving us? Consider the case of Catherine Donnelly.
Did Ms. Donnelly consider Michelle Obama's feelings first before sharing with the mainstream media her limited interaction with Michelle Obama at Princeton?
Considering that Michelle Obama had gone 20 plus years without ever knowing that Ms. Donnelly came from a racist family and that Ms. Donnelly's mother strongly objected to her having a black woman as a college roommate, what in the hell made Ms. Donnelly think Michelle Obama wanted to read or hear about this ancient racist history?
If they were not friends during their college days and had not reconnected in the numerous years in between, why did Ms. Donnelly feel compelled to comment on Michelle Obama at all? What was gained from her exposing this story?
And why do white women think it's an excuse for ignorance with remarks like "I told them we weren't used to living with black people." In 20 plus years, it hasn't dawned on Ms. Donnelly and her mother, that Michelle Obama coming from the South side of Chicago, wasn't used to living with white people? Yet, it wasn't Michelle Obama's mama in the Princeton University's office demanding a new room or threatening to yank her daughter from the school.
And the final insult in this case is the fact that Michelle Obama had to be gracious and conciliatory in the face of this decades old slap in the face. I wish Ms. Donnelly and her mama had returned the favor and just told the reporter, no comment.
