Marta Evans - Michelle Obama: In Her Own Words

In Her Own Words

EDITED BY

Marta Evans
and
Hannah Masters

Copyright 2021 by Agate Publishing, Inc.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without express written permission from the publisher.

Michelle Obama: In Her Own Words is in no way authorized, prepared, approved, or endorsed by Michelle Obama and is not affiliated with or endorsed by any of her past or present organizations.

Printed in the United States of America

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Evans, Marta, editor. | Masters, Hannah, editor.

Title: Michelle Obama in her own words / edited by Marta Evans and Hannah Masters.

Description: Chicago : B2 Books, An Agate Imprint, [2021] | Summary: A collection of more than 300 quotes from Michelle Obama, author, lawyer, humanitarian, and trailblazing first African American First Lady of the United States of America-- Provided by publisher.

Identifiers: LCCN 2020051911 (print) | LCCN 2020051912 (ebook) | ISBN 9781572842953 (paperback) | ISBN 9781572848511 (ebook)

Subjects: LCSH: Obama, Michelle, 1964- | Obama, Michelle, 1964---Quotations. | African American women lawyers--Illinois--Chicago--Quotations. | Presidents spouses--United States--Quotations. | Legislators spouses--United States--Quotations.

Classification: LCC E909 .M53 2021 (print) | LCC E909 (ebook) | DDC 973.932092--dc23

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020051911

LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020051912

B2 Books is an imprint of Agate Publishing. Agate books are available in bulk at discount prices. For more information, go to agatepublishing.com.

At fifty-four, I am still in progress, and I hope that I always will be. For me, becoming isnt about arriving somewhere or achieving a certain aim. I see it instead as forward motion, a means of evolving, a way to reach continuously toward a better self. The journey doesnt end.

MICHELLE OBAMA

M ichelle Obama is optimistic about Americathough she would be the first to admit its not always an easy attitude to maintain. As the first Black First Lady of the United States, she had a unique vantage point from which to witness what America is capable of, both good and bad. With a family history that traces a line from slavery through emancipation and the Great Migration to the pinnacle of power in the United States, her story reflects tragic American injustices alongside the American hope of overcoming them.

In 1964 on Chicagos South Side, Michelle LaVaughn Robinson was born to Marian Robinson, a secretary, and Fraser Robinson III, a city water plant worker who put in long hours despite struggling with multiple sclerosis. The family was working-class and lived in a small apartment where Michelle and her older brother Craig shared a room split by a wooden divider. It was a childhood full of warmth and freedom, with long days spent playing outside and a tradition of family meals. Marian and Fraser encouraged the children to explore and ask questions. Michelle recalls demanding why she had to eat eggs for breakfast, which she didnt like. When her parents said it was because she needed protein, she lobbied, strategically, for peanut butter and jelly sandwiches as a replacementand won.

Her parents were frank about what it would take for a Black girl like Michelle to succeedthat along with her talent and intelligence, she would need exceptional perseverance to reach her goals. The Robinsons set their expectations high, both for her schoolwork and her responsibilities to her family and community. Michelle, who took her parents work ethic as a model, read by age four and was enrolled in a gifted program by sixth grade. She went on to attend Chicagos first public magnet high school, where she was a member of the National Honor Society and served as student council treasurer.

Her diligence paid off. Despite the doubts of at least one college counselor, who told Michelle Im not sure youre Princeton material, she graduated as the salutatorian and was admitted to Princeton with a work-study scholarship. There, though she excelled in class, she often felt alienated at the majority-white school and sought refuge in her connections to the small group of other Black students. She carried these experiences with her to Harvard Law School, where she worked to increase diversity on campus.

After Harvard, Michelle returned to Chicago and took a position at the prestigious law firm Sidley Austin. Soon she was assigned to mentor a summer associate named Barack Obama. Barack showed immediate interest in her, but she always declined, wary of dating a coworker. When she finally agreed to a date, the relationship quickly grew serious. Three years later, they were married.

Michelle, who had begun to question her satisfaction with corporate law, left the firm for public service roles in city government and nonprofits. These changes were due partly to Baracks encouragement to take risks and pursue her interests. But it was also the loss of her father, who died in 1991 at age 55, that caused her to reconsider her priorities. Her father had taught her the value of keeping your word and showing up for other people. She wanted to honor his memory by keeping these values at the center of her life and work.

Barack, in his own search for meaningful work, had set his sights on politics. Michelle was less than thrilled. She had a long-held skepticism about politicians, whom she felt acted mainly out of self-interest. But she trusted Barack and didnt want to stand in his way. Cautiously, she supported him through his successful campaign for Illinois State Senate in 1996.

The demands of Baracks political schedule became more difficult after the birth of their first daughter, Malia, in 1998. Three years after their second daughter, Sasha, was born in 2001, as Barack eyed a United States Senate seat, Michelle made him promise that if he lost the race, he would get out of politics altogether. But he didnt lose. Michelle juggled her own career with caring for the children in Chicago while Barack commuted to Washington. As his popularity increased following a speech at the 2004 Democratic National Convention, Michelle was swayed by the idea that the truths he stood for could be put into action on the national political stage. Even so, she agreed to his presidential campaign without really believing he would win.

As she scaled back her career to accompany Barack on the campaign trail, Michelles own fame grew. Though many voters responded to her humor and honesty, she was intensely scrutinized by the press and political opponents. Animosity has always been present in politics, but race played a large role in the attacks levied against the Obamas, which often implicitlyand sometimes explicitlypainted Michelle as the stereotype of the angry Black woman. Nevertheless, with the support of a broad and energetic coalition of voters, the Obamas were carried to the White House.