Patricia J. Williams on Grandma-In-Chief

The liberal law professor argues that when Michelle Obama's 71-year-old mother, Marian Robinson, moves to Washington, D.C., she'll help redefine the notion of the 'all-American' family: "For all the kerfuffle about Robinson’s relocation, however, the Obamas will hardly be the first extended family moving to Washington—and even into the White House. But it hasn’t happened since Franklin Roosevelt, who brought his grandchildren with him. And so for more than half a century, we’ve been looking at life in the White House through the lens of a post-Depression, postwar model of nuclear family....At the same time, that particular reconfiguration of the smaller, mobilized family spreading out to enjoy boom times did not describe everyone in society. Single or poor working mothers, like Barack Obama’s, remained close to their extended families; indeed, that’s how he came to live with his grandparents for extended periods of time. Similarly, certain ethnic groups, including African-American families like Michelle Obama’s, have generally remained not just economically dependent but culturally attached to an 'immediate' family that includes grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins to the third or fourth degree."

She continues her commentary: "Marian Robinson is often described as the 'linchpin' of the Obama family — and she’s largely responsible for the family’s ability to devote themselves to public service. She and her late husband never attended college but sent both of their children to Princeton. Only recently retired from her job as a secretary, she has been the one who kept the girls’ lives to a normal routine while their parents have been on the campaign trail — who got them to school, supervised homework, and put them to bed. The timing seems right for an iconic American family that depends on a granny rather than a nanny. In the last few years of exhaustion and economic downturn, there has been a shift away from thinking that floors will mop themselves or that moms can really effortlessly whip up 30-minute gourmet meals after a long day at the office. It is hard to be a parent. It is hard to earn a living in the modern workplace. It is very hard to do both, and it’s damn near impossible to do both without a whole lot of help from other people."

My response: I think it's great that Mrs. Robinson is moving to Washington, D.C. It remains unclear though whether Mrs. Robinson has decided to actually move into the White House, or get a place of her own nearby. Mrs. Robinson, a widow, is not by herself in Chicago's cold winters. Malia and Sasha Obama have another close relative to help them successfully make the transition to the White House, as well as a known caretaker - instead of some D.C. staffer or nanny - whenever Michelle Obama has to travel on some First Lady business. Even if Grandma moves into the White House, who could possibly have a problem with this arrangement? I think one of the White House's 35 bedrooms can accommodate Grandma.

This arrangment reminds me of when my family moved from Chicago to central Florida, and my late great-grandmother moved in with us. It is also true that many more black folks seem to know our third and fourth cousins than white folks do. That is one of Black America's key strengths.

By the way, Ms. Williams is incorrect that there have been no extended families in the White House since FDR. President Harry Truman's mother-in-law - who didn't like him and resented that he, of modest background, married her daughter - lived full-time in the White House throughout his tenure. President Dwight Eisenhower's mother-in-law also lived in the White House for part of the year.