She went there. First Lady Michelle Obama’s appearance during the first night of the Democratic National Convention came in the form of an endorsement and a champion for the soul of black folks.

“In this election, I’m with her,” Mrs. Obama said issuing her official endorsement of Hillary Clinton for President of the United States. She chronicled Clinton’s life as a strong politician, making strides for women and future generations.

Her backing of Clinton was to be expected, but the First Lady got all too real about issues plaguing America. Gun violence. Recalling recent tragedies across the country, she said, “Police officers and protesters in Dallas who all desperately want to keep our children safe. People who lined up in Orlando to donate blood because it could have been their son, their daughter in that club.”

As time dwindles down for the Obamas to leave the White House, the First Lady discussed how the last eight years have come with growth not just her family, but for all American families.

“And let me tell you, Barack and I take that same approach to our job as president and first lady because we know that our words and actions matter, not just to our girls, but the children across this country. Kids who tell us, I saw you on TV, I wrote a report on you for school. Kids like the little black boy who looked up at my husband, his eyes wide with hope, and he wondered, “Is my hair like yours?”

She even went back to the first time she sent the girls off to school when President Obama took office as they rode in “those black SUVs with all those big men with guns.”

Last week, Melania Trump was caught “borrowing” from Mrs. Obama’s 2008 DNC speech. You’d think the First Lady would address the scandal. Absolutely not. When dealing with adversity and fighting the fray, Mrs. Obama said, “Our motto is, when they go low, we go high.”

To solidify her message, Mrs. Obama said, “Don’t let anyone ever tell you that this country isn’t great, that somehow we need to make it great again. Because this right now is the greatest country on earth.”

But this is the quote from First Lady Michelle Obama is what our people have rightfully earned to see.

“The story of those generations of people who felt the lash of bondage, the shame of servitude, the sting of segregation, but who kept on striving and hoping and doing what needed to be done so that today, I wake up every morning in a house that was built by slaves, and I watch my daughters, two beautiful and intelligent black young women, playing with their dogs on the White House lawn.”

I imagine the spirits of Rosa, Medgar, Malcolm, Shirley, Maya, DuBois, Betty, Ali, Coretta, Martin, Stokely, Emmett and a long list of black heroes giving the First Lady a grand round of applause.

And of course, the First Lady’s greatest supporter approved of her message.


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