Aura Bogado: The Obamas Need to Clean Up Their Act

Aura Bogado: The Obamas Need to Clean Up Their Act

Aura Bogado: The Obamas Need to Clean Up Their Act

Society is not post-racial. Barack and Michelle Obama need to stop telling young people of color otherwise.

Copy Link
Facebook
X (Twitter)
Bluesky
Pocket
Email

The first couple’s recent trip around the commencement circuit included remarks at historically black colleges and universities slapping black youth for “fantasizing about being a baller or a rapper,” in Michelle’s words, rather than pulling themselves up by their bootstraps. “This fixation, this insistence, on blaming black youth for problems that they didn’t create is completely unacceptable,” Nation writer Aura Bogado says. “What I would have liked to have heard” from the president, “if he feels intimate with this black audience, is an ask for these graduates to fight systemic racism.” Bogado joins a panel on HuffPost Live to parse the Obamas’ words.

James Cersonsky

Mondays in Raleigh are not the same this spring. Read Phoebe Zerwick’s report.

An urgent message from the Editors

As the editors of The Nation, it’s not usually our role to fundraise. Today, however, we’re putting out a special appeal to our readers, because there are only hours left in 2025 and we’re still $20,000 away from our goal of $75,000. We need you to help close this gap. 

Your gift to The Nation directly supports the rigorous, confrontational, and truly independent journalism that our country desperately needs in these dark times.

2025 was a terrible year for press freedom in the United States. Trump launched personal attack after personal attack against journalists, newspapers, and broadcasters across the country, including multiple billion-dollar lawsuits. The White House even created a government website to name and shame outlets that report on the administration with anti-Trump bias—an exercise in pure intimidation.

The Nation will never give in to these threats and will never be silenced. In fact, we’re ramping up for a year of even more urgent and powerful dissent. 

With the 2026 elections on the horizon, and knowing Trump’s history of false claims of fraud when he loses, we’re going to be working overtime with writers like Elie Mystal, John Nichols, Joan Walsh, Jeet Heer, Kali Holloway, Katha Pollitt, and Chris Lehmann to cut through the right’s spin, lies, and cover-ups as the year develops.

If you donate before midnight, your gift will be matched dollar for dollar by a generous donor. We hope you’ll make our work possible with a donation. Please, don’t wait any longer.

In solidarity,

The Nation Editors

Ad Policy
x