Michelle Obama Watch

By Nichelle of Anovelista.com

Angela Burt-Murray, the Editor-in-Chief of Essence magazine, has written a commentary for CNN.com and opines that our next first lady should not be pressured to hide her strengths:

Let Michelle Obama’s real self shine

White America may be trying to relax — after all they really like her husband. Yet even after Barack Obama’s decisive victory, it still seems that Michelle’s team wants to dial down her fabulousness. And black women know why.

Allison Samuel’s recent Newsweek cover story “What Michelle Means to Us” clearly articulates the double-edged sword she faces: “While every first lady — and plenty of professional women — walk the line between being confident and seeming like a bitch, African-American women are especially wary that being called ’strong’ is just another word for ‘angry.’ ”

It’s the thing that many black woman face at their jobs — the appearance of confidence and ability can be threatening to people. And so Michelle’s smart outfits were replaced with sensible sweater sets. Her focus became military families and photo-ops of her packing supplies.

There’s certainly value in Michelle Obama playing the traditional first lady role as she greets heads of state, travels the world meeting with foreign dignitaries, and continues her important work with military families.

But lest everyone decide that Mom-in-Chief is enough to keep her busy for the next four to eight years, Michelle has said in interviews that she and her family always try to get involved in the communities in which they live.

In Washington, which has some of the nation’s worst high school graduation rates, and HIV/AIDS infection rates that rival African countries, there will be no shortage of issues for the new first lady to tackle.

Gina McCauley, the founder of Whataboutourdaughters.com and Michelle Obama Watch, is also referenced in the article.