Michelle Obama apparently doesn’t believe museums are welcoming to low-income minority youths.
During her remarks celebrating the opening of a new building at New York’s Whitney Museum of American Art on April 30, the first lady alleged that minority children harbor a “feeling of not belonging” in America’s museums.
“There are so many kids in this country who look at places like museums and concert halls and other cultural centers and they think to themselves, well, that’s not a place for me, for someone who looks like me, for someone who comes from my neighborhood,” Obama explained. “In fact, I guarantee you that right now, there are kids living less than a mile from here who would never in a million years dream that they would be welcome in this museum.”
“Growing up on the South Side of Chicago, I was one of those kids myself,” she continued. “So I know that feeling of not belonging in a place like this. And today, as first lady, I know how that feeling limits the horizons of far too many of our young people.”
Obama particularly lauded the Whitney for its educational programs and the inaugural exhibit “America is Hard to See” in its new building, which according to the museum’s website “elaborates the themes, ideas, beliefs, and passions that have galvanized American artists in their struggle to work within and against established conventions, often directly engaging their political and social contexts.”
“You’re telling them that their story is part of the American story, and that they deserve to be seen,” Obama claimed of the exhibit.
Michelle also compared the museum’s inclusive effort to what she and Barack do at the White House.
“When we first came to Washington, we vowed to open up the White House to as many young people as possible, especially those who ordinarily wouldn’t have a chance to visit,” the first lady explained. “So just about every time we host any kind of cultural event, a concert or performance, we ask the performers to come a few hours early and host a special workshop just for our young people.”
H/T Daily Caller
