Michelle Obama: 'We don't exist' for 'white America'

Former first lady Michelle Obama is sharing her experiences with perceived racism against her and other African-Americans.

Obama talked about her experiences on the most recent episode of "The Michelle Obama Podcast."

She cited a recent exchange in New York’s Central Park between a white female and a black birdwatcher as an example of the “daily slights” faced by people of color. 

"This is what the white community doesn't understand about being a person of color in this nation, is that there are daily slights – in our workplaces, where people talk over you, or people don't even see you," she said.

Obama cited two personal examples from when she was first lady. 

She said she was in line at an ice cream store with her two daughters and another black woman, without a security detail, when a white female customer cut in front of them.

“Like she didn't even see us." Obama said. “So I stepped up, and I said, 'Excuse me?' I was like, 'You don't see us four people standing right here? You just jumped in line.' She didn't apologize, she never looked me in my eye, she didn't know it was me. All she saw was a black person, or a group of black people, or maybe she didn't even see that because we were that invisible.”

Obama said there were other instances when she was “completely incognito” during her eight years as first lady, including times when she was walking her dogs.

“People will come up and pet my dogs but will not look me in the eye,” she said. “They don't know it's me."

She continued, “That is so telling of how white America views people who are not like them. You know, we don't exist. And when we do exist, we exist as a threat. And that, that's exhausting."