MICHELLE OBAMA

MICHELLE OBAMA

Michelle Obama is a lawyer by profession, a writer and was the former first lady in the United States from 2009 to 2107. Before becoming the first lady, she was a city administrator at Chicago and a community outreach worker. She was born on January 17, 1964, in Chicago (White, 2011).

In her new book, “becoming”, Michelle states that after the appointment of her husband as the president, it took two months for her to figure out her purpose (Obama, 2018). She revealed that she felt overwhelmed and very uncertain of her purpose as the first lady. After a meeting with school girls from North London, she was able to find her goal. Most of the girls were from ethnic minorities with modest backgrounds. The activities that took place in the event transported her to her past. The optimism in the girls, despite the barriers they would face in their futures gave her hope. She was able to comprehend that her role as the first lady would open opportunities for many others who were like her, despite her feeling of inadequacy.

As the first lady, she faced racism. She asserts that there are a few moments that racist remarks made her very insecure. She had sleepless nights wondering what people thought of her. She says that even when she became the first lady, there were moments when people tried to tear her down due to her colour. A west Virginia official once referred to her as an ape. While campaigning with her husband, she encountered many racist remarks. During the campaigning period, she did not believe that her husband would win due to the mere fact that he was black. In a speech to graduating students in high school in Topeka, Kans. She said, “it is up to you to help them see things differently.” She asked them to play their part and ensure that people get rid of their old prejudices. She asked them to make a difference by sharing the teaching they learnt in Topeka, starting with friends and relatives. She also applauded the school on how it had adapted diversity.

While working at high-end offices, she was always mistaken as the help. In a speech to blacks graduating from Jackson State University, she told them that they would experience racism in one way or another. She advised them not to lash at their offenders and instead take a deep breath, lift their heads high and move on.

Michelle faced a rather compromising situation on conspiracy on the death of Joan Rivers.  The InfoWars website popularly known for conspiracy theories propagated the theory. It stated that she was transgender. The site claims that she killed Joan Rivers to cover the story. This falsified theory was put out to the public, and many people read it. This contrary theory created a bad reputation on the first lady, yet she did not fall for it.

Just like any other family setup, Mitchell faced a few challenges. After receiving the good news of having a baby, she had a miscarriage. It made her feel very lonely and caused her to live-in pain. She encounters that miscarriages are very devastating, and one should be aware of the effects that would come with it. On the long run by the help of vitro fertilization, she conceived her two daughters. After conceiving the two daughters, she went to couple counselling with her husband to keep her marriage on track. Her family was open to media scrutiny, yet she tried to raise her daughters to be grounded women. She ensured that they understood the importance of hard work and keeping their life off social media platforms. Most of her projects were faced with a lot of backlashes. When she initiated the program on countering child obesity (Tanne, 2010), she was attacked verbally through negative comments and was drawn as a cartoon. However, she did not allow this to weigh her down. She worked tirelessly to ensure that good eating habits and exercise were adapted. She also worked privately to talk to the corporations to omit sugar and fats from their foods.

Despite all the critics and backlash, the first lady served her time well. She was elegant, patient and stylish. She is a role model for many children. She inspired people to work hard and be optimistic in life. Through determination and hard work, she was able to go to schools like Harvard and Princeton and managed to have a successful career.

In her book, she advices young people to be empowered as they all matter. She encourages people to face their fear of the unknown to accomplish their goals. Despite background, ethnical, racial and gender differences, she states it is possible. On her various volunteer programs, she stressed on the relevance of education in one’s life and the importance of volunteer work in culturing someone to understand all the dynamics in life.

Michelle also addressed sexual harassment of women. She encourages society to teach young women to speak for themselves at a young age. This way, they learn to protect themselves from sexual harassment.