Michelle Obama: Coming Into Her Own
April 23, 2009 by blackgirlgrown
Filed under featured articles
No one can deny the power, value, and inspiration of First Lady Michelle Obama. The woman is the epitome of what the modern black woman is, or aspires to be: professionally accomplished, secure in her skin and her shape, and comfortable playing her role whether its leading or following President Obama. And all while staying in shape and attentively raising two beautiful daughters. I wish she would write a book or at least hold a press conference to give us some insight on how she’s done it, and provide some tips!
Her quiet determination, passion, and humility was clearly evident on her trip with President Obama to Europe a few weeks ago. Lois Hatton, providing commentary in USA Today, captures it perfectly:
The moment seemed like a routine photo op. Michelle Obama was visiting the all-girls Elizabeth Garrett Anderson Language School in London. After the students told the first lady about their school’s history and entertained her with a performance from Shakespeare’s The Tempest, I expected her to deliver a few gracious words of thanks. Instead, she left the students with a lesson I’m sure many will remember and heed: “If you want to know the reason why I’m standing here, it’s because of education. I never cut class. … I loved getting A’s. I liked being smart. … I thought being smart was cooler than anything in the world.”
Since she was speaking to only girls, she urged them to control their destiny. “For nothing in my life’s path ever would have predicted that I’d be standing here as the first African-American first lady. … I wasn’t raised with wealth or resources or any social standing to speak of,” she said. “I was raised on the South Side of Chicago — that’s the real part of Chicago.”
In describing the style and diversity Mrs. Obama brings to the White House, Pink Magazine blog writes:
What a continuously awesome thing it is to have a First Lady who is colorful in so many ways. Her presence beside her husband commands world leaders to take notice of her style. It is a presence that speaks of diversity on some many fronts. Of course there have been children in the White house before, but the culture she will create with her openness to new ways of doing old business will have the White House becoming a place of welcome at an unprecedented level. The word diversity will perhaps have additional definitions in the dictionary when Michelle Obama’s legacy of creating a colorful White House is placed in the annals of U.S. history.
Lastly, in her own words, Michelle Obama writes about the importance of service to our communities in a recent op-ed in USA Today:
Embedded in our nation’s core values is a spirit of community, generosity and entrepreneurship — a can-do attitude that says no challenge is insurmountable.
When so many people are struggling to make ends meet, we need everyone pulling together to solve our nation’s problems and to lift up our fellow Americans. And this includes our young people. Today, more than ever, we need their energy, enthusiasm and idealism.
In speaking of her own experience, Mrs. Obama continues:
When I made the decision to leave my job to found Public Allies, an AmeriCorps program in Chicago that prepares youth for public service, I realized right away that I had made the right decision. There are few things more rewarding than watching young people recognize they have the power to enrich not only their own lives, but the lives of those around them as well.
You go girl!
