Becoming

by

Michelle Obama

Valerie Jarrett Character Analysis

Michelle and Barack’s colleague. Michelle meets Valerie when she interviews with Valerie for a job at city hall in Chicago. Valerie is also a working mother who gave up corporate law to find work that is more fulfilling. Michelle eventually introduces Valerie to Barack, and Valerie becomes Barack’s finance chair for his Senate campaign and a senior advisor to him while he is president.

Valerie Jarrett Quotes in Becoming

The Becoming quotes below are all either spoken by Valerie Jarrett or refer to Valerie Jarrett. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Optimism, Growth, and Fulfillment Theme Icon
).
Chapter 11 Quotes

I had never been one to hold city hall in high regard. Having grown up black and on the South Side, I had little faith in politics. Politics had traditionally been used against black folks, as a means to keep us isolated and excluded, leaving us undereducated, unemployed, and underpaid. I had grandparents who’d lived through the horror of Jim Crow laws and the humiliation of housing discrimination and basically mistrusted authority of any sort.

Related Characters: Michelle Obama (speaker), Barack Obama, Valerie Jarrett, Dandy, Southside
Page Number: 151
Explanation and Analysis:
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Valerie Jarrett Quotes in Becoming

The Becoming quotes below are all either spoken by Valerie Jarrett or refer to Valerie Jarrett. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Optimism, Growth, and Fulfillment Theme Icon
).
Chapter 11 Quotes

I had never been one to hold city hall in high regard. Having grown up black and on the South Side, I had little faith in politics. Politics had traditionally been used against black folks, as a means to keep us isolated and excluded, leaving us undereducated, unemployed, and underpaid. I had grandparents who’d lived through the horror of Jim Crow laws and the humiliation of housing discrimination and basically mistrusted authority of any sort.

Related Characters: Michelle Obama (speaker), Barack Obama, Valerie Jarrett, Dandy, Southside
Page Number: 151
Explanation and Analysis: