While promoting her Netflix show Waffles + Mochi, former First Lady Michelle Obama sat down with CBS This Morning host Gayle King for a candid interview about Black Lives Matter and life in quarantine.
Obama told King that the conviction of former officer Derek Chauvin doesn't erase the fear she has when her daughters, Sasha and Malia, go outside or when other members of the Black community partake in daily activities, The Hill reported.
"Many of us still live in fear as we go to the grocery store, or worry about our – walking our dogs, or allowing our children to get a license," she said.
She admitted that when both Sasha and Malia, who are turning 20 and 23 respectively, walk outside there's the fear of assumptions about them "by somebody who doesn't know everything about them."
"They are good students and polite girls… But maybe they're playin' their music a little loud. Maybe somebody sees the back of their head and makes an assumption. I, like so many parents of Black kids, have to — that the innocent act of getting a license, puts fear in our hearts," she continued.
While she expressed that she remains fearful, she's also excited for her daughters' future.
"I mean, I'm just like 'Stop there.' I don't even have teenagers anymore. So I am excited for her [Malia] next chapter. That's why I want to be as excited as every parent," she said, according to People.
"I am excited, but I'd like to be more excited — to know that as she goes out and gets her first apartment and rides the subway somewhere, that they don't make assumptions about her based on the color of her skin," Obama said. "That she's not at risk, out there in the world as an adult, because she's a Black woman."
Despite the verdict and Obama's wish for justice, she agreed with King that, unfortunately, there are still people who think racism doesn't exist in America.
This isn't the first time Obama has spoken out about the George Floyd case. After the verdict was announced, Obama and her husband, former President Barack Obama, issued a statement, saying "Today, a jury in Minneapolis did the right thing," NBC Chicago reported.
"But if we’re being honest with ourselves, we know that true justice is about much more than a single verdict in a single trial," the statement read. "True justice requires that we come to terms with the fact that Black Americans are treated differently, every day. It requires us to recognize that millions of our friends, family and fellow citizens live in fear that their next encounter with law enforcement could be their last."
Chauvin was found guilty of second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter, as Blavity previously reported.
While in quarantine with her family, Obama said she often shut off the TV as a coping mechanism. She also discovered a new hobby— knitting, People reported. The 57-year-old revealed that she has made a sweater and halter tops for Barack and her two daughters during the pandemic.
While the former president hasn't worn his Michelle-designed garment, she reassured viewers that he certainly will be donning the sweater once the weather is cooler.
"It was finished when it got a little warmer. So, it's ready for him," she said, adding that Sasha and Malia both loved their halter tops.
