Racial oppression is most prevalent in the Federal government. Despite the presence of the Nation's first African-American President, the majority of persons in leadership are white. Despite gains in education, African-Americans are still paid below the government average. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in its Annual Report of the Federal Workforce consistently reports that "Black" is the leading race basis for discriminatory complaints filed. Internal discrimination continues to spill into our public programs and services. The failure of U.S. Department of Agriculture to fairly award loans to Black farmers is just one of the many examples. See video "Racism In the Federal Sector A-Z) youtube.com/watch?v=MqyDPh3OHpk. The EEOC Freedom of Information Act reply to the Coalition For Change, Inc. (C4C) disclosed that over 150 class actions of discrimination had been filed by Black/African-Americans over a ten year period.



















Following law school, Michelle worked as an associate in the Chicago branch of the law firm Sidley Austin in the area of marketing and intellectual property. There in 1989, she met her future husband, Barack Obama, a summer intern whom she was assigned as an adviser. "I went to Harvard and he went to Harvard, and the firm thought, 'Oh, we'll hook these two people up,'" Michelle said. "So, you know, there was a little intrigue, but I must say after about a month, Barack…asked me out, and I thought no way. This is completely tacky." Initially, she refused to date Obama, believing that their work relationship would make the romance improper. Eventually she relented, and the couple soon fell in love.
After two years of dating, Barack proposed. "We were at a restaurant having dinner to celebrate the fact that he had finished the bar," Michelle remembers. "Then the waiter came over with the dessert and a tray. And there was the ring. And I was completely shocked." The couple married at Trinity United Church of Christ on October 18, 1992.
High-Profile Work in Chicago
Michelle soon left her job to launch a career in public service, serving as an assistant to Mayor Daley and then as the assistant commissioner of planning and development for the City of Chicago.
In 1993, she became Executive Director for the Chicago office of Public Allies, a non-profit leadership-training program that helped young adults develop skills for future careers in the public sector.
Michelle joined the University of Chicago in 1996 as associate dean of student services, developing the University’s first community service program. She then worked for the University of Chicago Hospitals beginning in 2002, as executive director of community relations and external affairs.
In May 2005, she was appointed vice president of community relations and external affairs at the University of Chicago Medical Center, where she continues to work part-time. She also manages the business diversity program and sits on six boards, including the prestigious Chicago Council on Global Affairs and the University of Chicago Laboratory Schools