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Princeton-Educated Blacks and the Black CommunitybyMichelle LaVaughn RobinsonA thesispresented to Princeton Universityin partial fulfillment of therequirements for the degree ofBachelor of ArtsinDepartment of Sociology.
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Princeton, New Jersey, 1985(c) Michelle LaVaughn Robinson, 1985
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I
hereby declare that I am the sole author ofthis thesis.I authorize Princeton University to lend thisthesis to other institutions or individuals forthe purpose of scholarly research.Michelle LaVaughn RobinsonI further authorize Princeton University toreproduce this
thesis by photocopying
or by othermeans, in total or in part, at the requestof other institutions or individuals for thepurpose of scholarly research.
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Princeton-Educated Blacks and the Black Community

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Donna E Turnerleft a comment

I would like to say, without detracting from my comments by any obvious or even muffled sobbing, that the standards set for qualification for a degree have fallen miserably. Mrs. Obama has not had the benefit of an education. This is owing to to the intrusion of politics into the educational field. Scholarship relies on certain tasks to be carried out, just as flying an aircraft does.
08 / 29 / 2011
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gabino-cuevas-6012left a comment

As a US citizen of Cuban birth, I hereby declare this thesis to be drivel. Thanks for "tolerating" my opinion.
11 / 13 / 2009
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Thcmasleft a comment

Just a quick response to the post by 5L. To say that I have not spent much time in the company of other races because of the way that I think is off base. In fact, I grew up in sothern Mississippi in a military community. My best friends growing up were African Americans, Vietnamese and Phillipino. My best man at my wedding was Greek and one of the two groomsmen was an African American. Currently working in the foodservice industry I spend every day with Mexicans and summer interns from Bulgaria, Ukrane, Romania, Lithuania and Poland. I would not be ashamed to share my views with any of these other races because I view them as equals. Seek another theory as to why my opinions are they way they are... that is to say correct.
10 / 12 / 2008
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scholarmillleft a comment

I will leave the sociological debate to others as they all seem to find this interesting for some odd reason. I was doing creative writing during my freshman year of high school that had more substance than this. I went to a community college for English 101 and 102 before later studies at JHU. My community college professor would not have accepted this crap from a failing student. I aced his classes with much coaching and discussion over notes he left on submissions concerning my writing style. That professor made the rest of my academic life as well as my career a breeze. She did adhere to the requisite manner of assembling her body of work into whatever her professor surely detailed. Wasn't that impressive? I hated the wasted pages of paper in my own works. If the majority of papers were to appear in the school's journals it might make sense but we all know that doesn't happen because too many college educated students still write on this level, black or white. My career led me to reading resumes at times and if I didn't like the opening I tossed it. I had a fellow worker who did the same. The writing exhibited in this paper would have gone in the round bin as I found it to be sub par of that which what I would expect from an Ivy League grad. Why is this paper so highly touted? It is but racial drivel written in thesis form by a young black woman in an academic surrounding most blacks or whites are not accepted to. I've never set foot on an Ivy League campus as far as I know. If that paper is all it takes to get a BA there I wonder why my nephew is only in the 8th grade and engaged in deeper topics. One thing I will throw out about the sociological aspect of it. This goes further to demonstrate that the educated and wealthy who claim to be liberals will take up the torch for those that don't do so for themselves. This piece even questions how blacks who are better off than the rest of the "community" relate back to it. Does being black mean one can not be a part of the world, destined to living as if there are community imposed shackles holding one down? It is insisted by many that blacks "sell out" if they ever remove themselves from the shackles the community has put on them and better themselves. Do white people from Appalachia successful in education and business think back on the "hillbillies" they left behind in like fashion? I've never know any but it is worth asking because I think the shackles are a bit too tight.
10 / 11 / 2008
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5lleft a comment

Obviously the bulk of you complaining about her formatting (i.e. large margins) did not have the brains to read the description where it states that the paper had been reformatted. Having worked in a library and scanned many older print documents into a working word format the mistakes are common. As for her supposed typos these can also be contributed to computer/scanner error. I am not a sociologist but I have had to read several studies and they are all the same, dry and boring. For those of you who found fault in that I would have to say "Did you think you were reading a novel?" While we have progressed greatly in the 20 years since Mrs. Obama wrote this and even more since her responders attended Princeton, America is not colorless. I would have to guess that THCMAS has not spent much time in the company of other races. I come from a small mid-west community and I also come from a mix of Europeans who were discriminated against, but I am not blind to the fact that "white" Europeans are accepted much faster than other ethnic groups. As a person with many friends from other ethnic groups and countries I have assimilated some of their clothing styles and mannerisms and I increasingly find my self discriminated against. I have an olive skin tone so I am commonly mistaken for a light skinned Mexican/Indian/and or Middle Easterner. Many people in the public sector have talked to me as if I do not speak English. I have had many women in retail talk to me in a loud exaggerated slow manner thinking that that would make me understand the English I was so lacking. Their faces turn bright red and they are obviously serious aware of their discriminating behavior when I start to speak in a perfect Kansas accent. As far as becoming part of the society I would have to say that our societal norms are made and based on “White” standards. While I do not believe there is anything wrong in our morals as “whites” I do take offence when I am told that my job prospects will greatly decline in my community if I accept and observe my Hindu fiancé’s marriage customs (wearing vermillion on the forehead and piercing my nose). This proves that we are not as progressive as a society as we claim. I have heard many people say this is a white country based on white ideals and others should act like us if they want to stay here. This country was based on freedom and I should have the freedom to cover my hair, wear a sari, enjoy blues and jazz, and still be an American.
10 / 11 / 2008
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Donna E Turner replied:

The topic of this paper is not the point. The sad lack of ability to WRITE it well is. Our schools have failed to provide the grounding necessary for ALL American children to compete in the WORLD.
08 / 29 / 2011