First Lady Passes on Princeton 25
Wednesday, April 28, 2010 at 04:33AM Aminah Every spring, Princetonians return in droves for their 25th reunion, donning orange-and-black class jackets, to reunite with classmates, march in the P-Rade and sing “Old Nassau.” But the highest-profile member of the Class of 1985 — First Lady Michelle Obama — will not join her classmates.
Katie McCormick Lelyveld, Obama’s press secretary, said in an e-mail that the first lady’s scheduling office has sent a formal letter of regret to the University explaining that Obama will not be able to attend. Margaret Miller ’80, assistant vice president for alumni affairs, said she received the letter, which she referred to as a “private correspondence.”
Regina Lee, co-president of the Class of 1985, said she had not heard from the first lady’s office but was not surprised by the outcome.
“My general feeling was that while I and my fellow 85er classmates were hopeful that she might attend, we also knew that her schedule has many challenging demands and she might be unable to join us,” she explained in an e-mail. “We are of course disappointed that she will not attend our 25th reunion, as the 25th has traditionally been seen as ‘the’ special time for classmates to reconvene on campus, and our hope is that she nonetheless will connect and reconnect with old and new friends among her classmates and the University in the years to come.”
Lee noted that if Obama were to come for her reunion, special arrangements would have been made...
In December 2009, Molly Alarcon, a columnist for The Daily Princetonian, wrote an open letter to the first lady, inviting her to speak at Class Day.
“Just as your ascension to the White House has given our country cause to think about race in America, your comments as the Class of 2010’s Class Day speaker on May 31, 2010, could encourage our campus to look inward at our racial problems,” Alarcon wrote. “While racial dynamics here have improved since your time, we still have much work to do. It’s one thing if I write a column about racial issues on campus and quite another if you come tell us what we need to hear.”
Alarcon declined to comment on the news that Obama would not be at Reunions.
If any of the comments over at The Daily Princetonian are reflective of the class of '85 I can see why the First Lady does not want to attend.
Although I have to admit I was looking forward to the raw cell phone camera video of Catherine Donnelly approaching the Mrs Obama. Remember Donnelly was the First Lady's Princeton roommate who's mother was "concerned" that her daughter's roommate was Black.
I'm betting the university is courting the First Lady to be a future commencement speaker. I guess the lesson here is, be careful how you entertain young Black women, for you may be entertaining future First Ladies unaware.
Posted by Aminah Hanan
Reader Comments (11)
Maybe next year. Hopefully she will six more years to be our First Lady.
THE RESON WHY SHE IS NOT GOING BECOUSE SHE HAVE OTHER PLANES WITH HER FAMILY. AND SHE WILL BE THE FRIST LADY FOR FOUR MORE YEARS AND BY THEN SASHA WILL BE 13 YEARS OLDS AND MALICA WILL BE IN PRINCETON JUST LIKE HER SMART MOM AND DAD WENT.
FLOTUS is fabulous and busy she cannot fulfil every request.
You're so right Patty, plus their is two young girls that still need their Mother, even if she is the First lady of the United States. And that's one thing I've always like about Mrs. Obama, from day one she said she was Mom-in-chief.
I guess the lesson here is, be careful how you entertain young Black women, for you may be entertaining future First Ladies unaware.That's right Aminah. Now i'm off to The Daily Princetonian.
I don't know why Princeton would even want to have FLOTUS come back. From all accounts, she was nothing but a surly malcontent while there, parading around with a huge sense of entitlement. Miss Michelle also had a chip on her shoulder at Princeton, as anyone who reads parts of her senior thesis can readily confirm.
You're RIGHT, you don't know. And thank God you aren't Princeton. I bet they will gladly have FLOTUS back, and so would many other colleges.
oh is that you Lavaughnm? Right on schedule with the HOD (Hateration On Demand).
Any one who has ever listened to FLOTUS speak, with her tortured syntax, misplaced modifiers, "unique" pronunciations, and ATROCIOUS grammar, would have to wonder why Princeton hasn't asked for their diploma back!
I promise myself I wasn't going to get into this childess behavior. Certain people and their hatred isn't worth it. Not one bit!
Well, I think I can see why the First Lady might have chosen to take a pass on this one...
On another note, she strikes me as the kind of lady - from what I've read - who is extremely good at nurturing her friendships, so I'm sure that she's already "connected and reconnected" with those genuine friends from her Princeton days that she wishes to keep in her life. The reunion wouldn't have helped much on that front, then, I think.
In this instance, perhaps, it's best to maybe take the occasional trip down memory lane, and otherwise, not look back at the past, too much.