Michelle Obama Opens Up About Daily Racism: “Sometimes We’re Invisible”

On a recent episode of The Michelle Obama Podcast, former First Lady Michelle Obama offered a candid look into her personal experiences with racism in America—experiences that she says many white people simply don’t understand.

“There are daily slights,” Obama explained. “Things that make you feel invisible, or like a threat, just because of the color of your skin.”

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Feeling Invisible in Everyday Life

Michelle recounted a moment after taking her daughters, Malia and Sasha, to a soccer game. While waiting in line for ice cream, a white woman cut in front of them as if they weren’t even there. “She didn’t apologize, she didn’t even look me in the eye. All she saw was a Black person, or maybe she didn’t see us at all,” Michelle said. Even as a globally recognized figure, she has often been treated as invisible. “People will come up and pet my dogs, but won’t look me in the eye. They don’t know it’s me.”

For Michelle, these moments are telling about how much of white America views people who are different. “We don’t exist. And when we do exist, we exist as a threat. And that’s exhausting.”

The Weight of Stereotypes and Public Scrutiny

Michelle Obama has spoken before about the challenges of being the first Black First Lady. In her Netflix documentary “Becoming,” she recalled the pressure and the racist stereotypes she faced while campaigning and during her years in the White House. “The only thing I can do is share that it does hurt,” she said. “If we walk around pretending like it doesn’t hurt, the perpetrators just say, ‘Oh, I was just joking. It’s just politics.’ But no, that changes the shape of a person’s soul.”

She also revealed to Oprah Winfrey that she cried for thirty minutes on her final flight out of Washington after eight years in the White House—a release after years of trying to do everything perfectly under intense scrutiny.

Racism in Education and the Power of Friendship

Michelle’s experiences with racism began long before her time in the public eye. In her memoir, she wrote about how her freshman roommate at Princeton switched dorms after learning Michelle was Black. The roommate’s mother was so upset that she pressured the university to separate them.

Through it all, Michelle credits her close-knit group of friends—especially Black women—as a crucial support system. “There’s a certain relief that comes when you don’t have to walk into your friend group and explain yourself,” she said. These friendships have been even more important during the Black Lives Matter movement. “My group of female friends aren’t calling me to say, ‘What can I do?’ They’re calling to say, ‘How are you doing, girl? Let’s talk.’”

Michelle Obama’s stories are a reminder that, even for those at the highest levels of achievement, the sting of racism is real and lasting. Her openness offers a powerful perspective on the daily realities faced by people of color—and the importance of community and understanding in the fight for equality.