Michelle Obama Watch

it does make you sad when people act stupid
Michelle is strong,confident and has family
and friends who love and support her
and as for the cornrows
they act like thats the first time they have ever seen them
im sure Malia loves the way her mom styles her hair

they try to over analyze everything she does
they need to just let Michelle be Michelle

The irony is that Andra Gillespie is a beautiful, young black professor of African American Politics. I’d like to say that maybe her words were taken out of context but she ought to have said what Valerie Jarrett said.

http://polisci.emory.edu/faculty%20pages/gillespie.htm

Could it also be a bit competitive? Who knows, certainly Michelle Obama is in an envious position, being who she is, and with a husband like that, and those adorable kids.

Sigh…… Here we go again, with yet another article determined to accentuate the negatives, and just plain, flat out ignore all the many, many positives.

I’m still waiting to see a thoughtful, well written piece out here that acknowledges, the:

a) stellar job Michelle’s parents did in raising her to be such an accomplished, self-confident and all around decent human being;
b) the fact that this feat is by no means exceptional among Black families despite the lack of visibility of such families in the White media;
c) the all important role that Michelle played in helping to lovingly steer her husband to the position that he now has, and how she complements him so very well;
d) the graciousness with which she has dealt with often harsh and unfair criticism from not a few quarters, and how this bodes well for her in her new role.

(This is by no means an exhaustive list!)

Instead, we get nonsense about neck snaps, the same pointlessly regurgitated fact that Michelle is a descendant of slaves, and silly musings on what might or might not happen to Malia’s hair in the future. To cornrow, or not to cornrow…that apparently is the burning question! Sigh…..

Good Morning….
Thank you Valerie Jarrett. The citizens of these United States should read up on the history of the African American culture. Our girls have had their hair corn rowed and braided because that is what our parents did and there is nothing wrong with it. It was not popular until Bo Derek wore them in that movie. Some white women are trying to wear the cornrows and braids now and they do not look good because of the texture of their hair. Everyone needs to wear the hair style that they want and look good in. I have gone through relaxer, hair broke out, natural, back to relaxer, hair broke out again. I am now back to the natural with a little texturizer so I will be able to comb it, my hair is very tight. Michelle, please do contunie to cornrow Malia’s hair if you want to. Nothing wrong with it.

I don’t know where the strange baggage placed at Michelle Obama’s feet to carry is coming from. Is Gillespie projecting her own issues? Sometimes the worst stereotypes of black women can come from other black women. We expect them to know better.

Nevertheless, this article strikes me as an attempt to silence the future First Lady before she’s given a chance to articulate a position on anything. Having a voice and an opinion shouldn’t have her cast as a belligerent person at all.

It’s a matter of control – outspoken black women are viewed as a problem. Popular cultural pollution is demanding that we have no right to voice our opinions, frankly, that is what needs to stop.

We have a lot more to be concerned with than how Malia wears her hair. Valerie Jarrett and Michelle Obama are both very smart, strong women and I have NO doubt they will bear what ever burdens they must. Women have been doing it for centuries. They will carry on just like all the rest of us do in our daily lives. They must do it with the forever ,everywhere watchful eye of the public. Yet I have No doubt in their capablities.