Now I know I wasn’t the only inspired by Michelle Obama’s speech last night.
But I was troubled by the reason she had to make the speech. People are afraid of Michelle Obama and she has spent the past few months trying to explain who she and her husband are, where they came from and assure the general public that they are safe.
It is not easy to stereotype the Obamas. Unlike many other who come from single mother households, Barack got married, then had children and is a very devoted father. Unlike many others who come from impoverished neighborhoods, Michelle (and her brother) stayed in school and graduated from Ivy League institutions. Unlike many others who manage to make it out the hood and avoid it for as long as they can, both Michelle and Barack brought their education back to the neediest of neighborhoods and attempted to create change. Unlike other Black males in politics, Barack has not cheated on his wife (yeah I’m looking at you Jesse and Kwame). And yet, all these things make them somehow suspect.
It’s frustrating to hear people question if the Obama’s are Black enough. Lord knows according to CNN they are not- they are not poor (but real talk, if you both graduated from Harvard Law School, you shouldn’t be poor or even middle class), they are very educated, they are married, and they are healthy. Michelle questioned, if she’s not Black enough, what does that mean. Shouldn’t we aspire for greatness in our lives, even if we hit a few stumbling blocks along the way?
Michelle and Barack are the American dream. They have done everything many conservatives think, and many liberals hope, people of color should do – get an education, excel, get a job, excel, get married, take care of your kids and do good. Shouldn’t this be something we are proud of? Shouldn’t that actually be the norm? (Maybe that’s another post).
I can admit that I hadn’t paid as much attention to the presidential race before, but I know that no other candidates have had to explain so much about themselves before. McCain is always crying about how the Obamas get so much press but the tidbits that I hear about him and his wife trouble me. Cindy McCain is a recovering addict, and yet we feel the need to put Michelle Obama under the microscope. McCain doesn’t know how many houses he and his wife own, if that isn’t on some out-of-touch, super celebrity, mega rich ish, I don’t know what is. And please don’t get me started on the McCain courtship because it involves cheating and divorce. Give me a break.
In the end, when Barack came on the screen, you could see his daughters’ eyes light up. You could see Michelle glow. You could feel the love. It was sincere and it was powerful. And I totally feel in love with the Obamas again last night.
peace,
e.
Michelle Intro Video – Thanks Bari
crossposted @ evahaldane.com
{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
I absolutly agree with you! This has been the most extensive “interview process” that a candidate running for office and his family have ever had to endure. I think that McCain needs to worry about McCain and why he cheated on his former wife to be with his current one and how he has an illigitimate child in the south that nobody seems to be hearing anything about now! Funny houw he has 7 kids and I couldn’t pick them out of a lineup but the Obama girls I know right off. I love this family they are a real version of the Cosbys and finally a great depiction of black america
Most definitely Michelle’s speech was very inspirational. The strength in her gestures, the power of her words, the passion in her heart… she is truly amazing!
I agree that the Obamas are great people who are a prime example of just how powerful “change” can be, if given the chance.
She came off as an all-American Horatio Alger story, someone who rose from a working-class background on the south side of Chicago to the pinnacle of success by adherence to old-fashioned values of hard work and faith and family. It’s a story even Obama’s conservative opponents should admire.
She helped show the human side of Barack, too, with a touching account of how he drove her and their newborn daughter home from the hospital, nervously moving along at a snail’s pace and looking in the rearview mirror.
Throughout this entire process I have wondered why Michelle Obama has been receiving more (it seems at times) press than Barack. Simply because she is not the one running for office. Yes I understand that she will be part of the first family but a lot of times when she was mentioned in the media it was not in direct correlation to Barack. She was being directly scrutinized, and I was more than annoyed seeing her in these situations that are not directly related to the election process.
Now at this point of the process, I admire the way she has handled herself and just love how she doesn’t just cheer her husband on from the sidelines but how she supports him while standing right by his side.
Watching her speech I almost felt as if she was running for presidency because she did no speak as a supporter but she spoke with a fire that echoed Barack’s.
All of this to say, no Eva you were definitely not the only one inspired by Michelle Obama’s speech.
And Briesea, I agree that these are our real life Cosby’s!
Bwahaha!!!
I admit to being a sassy wife..and it’s definitely not a bad thing as long as you’re respectful, but the other day I saw Michelle Obama (who I generally think is great) on 60 minutes. Her sassy-ness on the show was borderline disrespectful. Being a sassy wife w/in the privacy of your home is cool, but doing such publicly (especially if you’re the wife of the president-elect) is going too far. She’s got to use descretion.