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As early as January, I knew that Michelle Obama's body
would be a radioactive site and catalyst for a public
discussion about race, class and gender.
About a month ago, I was brainstorming podcast ideas and the two
that I chose were Michelle Obama and the Black female body
and Babies Vs. Dreams.
Not more than a week later after I chose these did
Maureen Dowd write about being in a taxi with David Brooks,
who referred to Mrs. Obama's arms as "Thunder and Lightning."
There was an ensuing discussion on whether Michelle Obama
should cover up her arms in photographs. Dowd writes,
In the taxi, when I asked David Brooks about her amazing arms, he
indicated it was time for her to cover up. “She’s made her point,” he
said. “Now she should put away Thunder and Lightning.”I’d seen the plaint echoed elsewhere. “Someone should tell Michelle to mix up her wardrobe and cover up from time to time,” Sandra McElwaine wrote last week on The Daily Beast.
I knew that Michell Obama's body was going to ripe
area for dialogue because she is the first African American
woman to be treated as a symbol of fashion of beauty
who is not a singer or a movie star or athlete.
I am also not surprised by Michelle Obama's body being
held up to public scrutiny, as Black women's bodies
have historically, always been held up to public scrutiny.
Michelle Obama is not a set of body parts she is an
accomplished lawyer, mom and wife.
With regard to her accomplishments, I am particularly
drawn to, inspired by and would like to replicate her
work with the Chicago chapter of The Public Allies. Public Allies
is an organization that encourages young people to work on
social issues in nonprofit groups and government
agencies. In many ways Michelle Obama reminds me of a
loose embodiment of Claire Huxtable from The Cosby Show.
Stylish lawyer, mom and wife.
I knew that Michelle Obama's body would be up for discussion
because of the history of publicly appraising the Black female
body. Historically, in the United States, the Black female body has been
on public display and subjected to public appraisal since chattel slavery.
Historically, the wealth of this nation has been tied to the health
of the Black female body. Enslaved Black female laborers picked
cotton and tobacco, cleared land and produced Black children
who were enslaved, became laborers. The healthier a woman
was, the more she worked and the more children she had who worked,
the more children she had, the wealthier the country became.
Michelle Obama has worked as a lawyer, hospital administrator and
as a fundraiser and advocate. I am most inspired by the work
that she did with the Chicago Chapter of Public Allies. Public
Allies is an organization that encourages young people to
work on social issues in non profits and government agencies.
I see it as one of my purposes in life to try an institutionalize
this kind of work in our communities.
Mrs. Obama stands out not only because of her work
but because a discussion of her body reveals things about
us that we may not rather admit. Our discomfort about race,
the legacy of slavery and
