About Michelle Obama Watch
Michelle Obama Watch is a repository of all of the criticism, praise, and general chicanery thrown at Michelle Obama between now and November. If Barack wins… well we’ll cross that bridge when we get to it, but for right now, we are looking at a 5 month obligation. If it has anything to do with Michelle, it will be on Michelle Obama Watch.
Gina a.k.a “Admin”, Administrator
I started Michelle Obama Watch to avoid being overrun by emails at my blog, What About Our Daughters. WAOD often serves as a 911 and 411 related to the negative portrayal of African American women in popular culture. Whenever my readers see something that troubles them about the media’s depiction or treatment of another African American woman. I often get an email. Predicting that Michelle Obama would be the target of an unprecedented level of media scrutiny over the months leading to the general election, I decided to provide a separate blog to deal exclusively with the media and Michelle so that i could continue to use WAOD to highlight other troublesome issues related to African American women such as the cases of Private Lavena Johnson, Dunbar Village, Romona Moore and other horrific atrocities committed against Black women and girls in the country that often go unreported by mainstream media. I don’t have time to cover Michelle Obama 24/7, but a group of contributors volunteer their time to try to keep up. I have three rules we try to stick to A) No electioneering- I don’t care who you vote for; B) No Attacks and C) Be Brief.
You can read more about the development of Michelle Obama Watch at What About Our Daughters: “Michelle Obama Watch Goes Live”
Editor and Contributors
Michelle Obama Watch is run on the volunteer efforts of readers and contributors. The following people are currently contributors on Michelle Obama Watch:
AJ, Editor and Moderator
An opinionated down to earth African American expressing thoughts and opinions on current events and this thing called life. Sometimes funny sometimes serious, but always real. AJ runs the blog OverAnalyzeIt which is an eclectic mix of thoughts regarding politics, social issues, family, strange news and everything in between.
Anovelista, Contributor
Nichelle Gainer is the Founder of Anovelista Media, home of the beauty and fashion blog 55 Secret Street and Revenge of the Curves, a fitness, health and lifestyle blog. Her personal blog, Anovelista.com, covers the intersection between contemporary culture, history, politics and the arts. A veteran magazine writer, her work has appeared in GQ, In Style, Glamour, Self and Essence.com.
Nichelle is contributing to Michelle Obama Watch because she believes that when and where Michelle Obama enters, black womanhood enters with her - even though she hasn’t asked for it. It’s “too heavy a load” for Michelle to carry alone so, in the tradition of “Black women in defense of themselves”, Nichelle is here to help.
Carmen D
Carmen D. writes daily at her site Allaboutrace.com (www.allaboutrace.com) and at AOL’s Black Voices/Black Spin blog (http://www.blackvoices.com/blogs/category/blackspin-black-news-headlines/). A former Emmy Award winning network news producer and media consultant, Carmen is increasingly focused on helping people talk about race productively. Carmen contributes to Michelle Obama watch because she says, “strong black women are called to stand up for other strong women.” Carmen D. resides in California with one husband and two canine kids.
Megan, Contributor
I’m Meagan. I grew up in Los Angeles, and have lived in Brooklyn, New York, Washington, D.C, and most recently in Columbus, Ohio. I currently live in Chicago. I work in an office, where I read political blogs all day. I am an avid cyclist who hates cars and firmly believes in the two-wheeled revolution, as well as a shutterbug (http://www.myspace.com/lattershedphotography). I am a centrist/moderate, and I write for The Gaffe Watch , a blog that examines gaffes made by our elected officials at all ends of the political spectrum.”
MelodiousZ, Contributor
Zenobia (AKA MelodiousZ) is a single mother of two with a passion to improve the quality of life and way of thinking for her and other women. She gained this passion through her own personal experiences and while witnessing life-changing experiences of others.
She runs the blog “From the Battlefield ~*~Sisters, Let’s Talk~*~”. This blog is a place that invites conversation and brings awareness to a variety of topics. One may find poetry, rants and raves, questions that boggle the mind, testimony, a cry for help, news, jokes and politics there. It is a forum for women that are fighting the same battles and wish to encourage each other along the way.
Through research, observations, and many posts of sister bloggers, Zenobia became more aware of the disregard that society has for the plight of black women. She feels that the time of dissecting and discussing the issues has come to an end and a call to action is needed. As the Democratic nomination came within Obama’s reach, many (i.e. the public, government, and media) made their intentions of using stereotypes and negative connotations as a weapon to attack Michelle Obama, at the expense of black women’s images, integrity and ambitions, apparent. Against the idea of allowing such offenses to be swept under the usual rug of insignificance, Zenobia was more than willing to sign on as a volunteer contributor to the Michelle Obama Watch site.
Rhonda, Contributor
Rhonda, 28, is a blogger for Michelle Obama Watch. Among other interests, she is passionate about identifying the ways in which media and politics intersect, and how people of color and other marginalized communities (including immigrants and the poor) are impacted by those intersections. Rhonda has worked in higher education and in the non-profit sector since graduating college in 2002. Born in Seoul, Korea, she has lived in Los Angeles and the Seattle area, and currently resides in Washington, DC.
SJP, Contributor
Originally from a small suburb Chicago, I now reside in the wild, wild west where the bills get paid with a check provided by a university for services rendered as an administrator. As I say at Sojourner’s Place, I am an “African-American; Wife; Mother; Daughter; Christian; Professional & Soror just trying to make a difference before I die and retire.”
African-American women cannot and must not allow others to define who we are or what we are. As such, I am proud to lend my eyes and ears to the Michelle Obama Watch.
Sylvia, Contributor
Sylvia/M blogs regularly at Problem Chylde (http://problemchylde.wordpress.com) on issues of race, gender, feminism, pop culture, literature and human rights. She is currently a J.D. candidate at the University of Baltimore. She joined the Michelle Obama Watch effort to play a part in illustrating that no matter how Election 2008 concludes, Michelle Obama will be remembered as a historical figure in her own right.
Hawa
Hawa is the thirty-something author of the Fackin Truth blog. Her blog started as an outlet for surviving an unexpected divorce. and to discuss family life in general. Somewhere along the line, she caught the political bug, got engaged, and got her groove back. Everybody from the gas station attendant to John McCain represent fair targets of Hawa’s commentary.
“My decision to author at Michelle Obama Watch has more to do with my love for universal justice than unilateral support of a single race. I’m equally passionate about all the ugly xenophobic manifestations of injustice. If I can’t stand up for a white male or anybody else who doesn’t look like ‘me,’ I don’t deserve justice as a Black woman living in America.”
Hawa lives the cubicle life by day as a project manager. By night, she parties like it’s 1999 with two beautiful sons, a soon-to-be-husband, and friends who love bowling. Hawa resides in New Jersey near her parents who she regards as “the best mom and dad any person could think to ask for.”
