Michelle Obama slayed everyone last night at the Democratic National Convention. She confirmed that she is Beyoncé’s Beyoncé. Her ability to throw shade at the Trump campaign in a classy manner shows why we need her in the White House for eight more years. For most of her speech, I cried tears of joy, especially when she said this:

I, along with much of the internet, cheered when she spoke these words. Watching a black woman state ugly facts to America while on stage at a major political convention was inspiring. But for some reason, parts of her speech made many people uncomfortable.

The fact that African slaves largely contributed to the construction of the White House should make people feel uncomfortable. Knowing that America is the power it is today because of horrific choices made is a terrifying. Many corporations and family empires have their wealth because they accepted the notion that human beings have the right to own other human beings. But this discomfort should not shut down dialogue.

Advocates for colorblindness chastised Michelle for speaking about “things in the past.” Asking black people to forget this past, while celebrating a tea party that happened over 300 years ago is hypocritical. Furthermore, suggesting that black people should “get over slavery,” ignores how slavery intersects with the present. State-sanctioned violence has been a reality for black Americans since slavery. This linkage across decades points to the continued existence of systemic racism. Refusing to confront these facts is selfish and is an attempt to erase the experiences within black America.

Regardless of what her critics, Michelle Obama is still my favorite person. I’m proud I got to live through the Obama years and that she is not afraid to force America to look at itself in the mirror.

Keep slaying, queen.

Source: Giphy

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