Obama: 'No black male my age' hasn't been taken for a valet
In a new interview with People magazine, Barack and Michelle Obama share their experiences with racial prejudice in America.
"There's no black male my age who's a professional who hasn't come out of a restaurant and is waiting for their car and somebody didn't hand them their car keys," President Obama told People. He added that he himself has been mistaken for a valet, while Michelle added that someone asked him to get coffee while he "was wearing a tuxedo at a black-tie dinner."
Michelle, meanwhile, added her own experience with racial prejudice: During her recent trip to Target, the only person who spoke to her asked her to get something from a shelf.
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"It's one thing for me to be mistaken for a waiter at a gala," President Obama said. "It's another thing for my son to be mistaken for a robber and to be handcuffed, or worse, if he happens to be walking down the street and is dressed the way teenagers dress."
Check out the excerpt on racial prejudice over at People — the full interview appears in Friday's issue of the magazine.
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Meghan DeMaria is a staff writer at TheWeek.com. She has previously worked for USA Today and Marie Claire.
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