In the telegraph’s article, Michelle Obama: the real power behind the presidency

Barack Obama would not be where he is today without Michelle Obama. She helped him understand his race and his country. She showed voters that he is a loving father and that he is a mortal man, one who does not pick his dirty socks off the bedroom floor, rather than a messiah.

Above all she is Mr Obama’s closest confidante, the one person to whom he unhesitatingly defers. It is that which makes her the power behind the throne, even if she did not push her own political passions. And she shows every sign of doing that as well.

Jamerican Muslimah wrote “The Chinese calendar says it’s The Year of the Ox. I beg to differ. Michelle Obama has shown us all that it’s:The Year of the Black Woman. ”

Jamerican Muslimah is not the only one to take notice, time and again she’s come up in conversation. There are those detractors who do not find her attractive, but overall the media is captivated by her style. She is a striking woman, tall with brown skin and together Michelle and Barack Obama make a stunning couple. The Root just published an article titled “Michelle, Our Belle”. The article explains:

There’s a reason that blogs like SweetBee’s and “Michelle Obama Watch” have sprung up in the past year. Michelle Obama has made it cool to be smart, to say when you’re proud or disappointed in your country, and she’s made it cool to be a black woman.

One of my friends emailed me and asked if Michelle in the White House as first lady made the Angry Black woman moot. I wrote her back stating that the stereotype was definitely weakened and the idea that an education and career were liabilities for Black woman received a severe blow. Still, the prevalence of negative attitudes towards educated Black women in the American Muslim community is disturbing. I really hope it chips away at some common perceptions. Last year, the negative views of educated and professional Black women became apparent in a number of discussion spanning several Muslim blogs. I received a number of negative comments myself when I weighed in on the discussion of mail order brides here. Common perceptions are that Black women emasculate men, have too much baggage, and are not good Muslims.

Since I read much of the vitriol while abroad, I worried about the environment that we were creating to foster and nourish young Black women with aspirations and talents. I also wondered about the reception I would receive upon my return. And I often wondered if the lack of support I received from the Muslim community was due to the ambivalent attitudes towards Black women and power. But upon my return I found that my training and talents were appreciated, but that I would just have to work on finding a more nurturing environment that could help me develop my skill set.

And then there was Michelle O. and election night. Not only did the world’s perception of the Black man change that night, but the world’s perception of Black women. I’m not saying all is right with the world and that the Black community has done away with gendered racism, nor am I saying that all Black women should be committed to the idea of the Black family. But like much of Black America we fell in love with the idea of Barack and Michelle being in love. Something about her strength assured us that he was a strong man. Other weaker man would have shrunk in fear at the thought of approaching such a formidable woman. Other men with less confident notions of their manhood would have shied away from such public displays of adoration. So, here’s to Michelle O, who has single handed got us educated gals with high aspirations lifting our heads up once again.
Did I forget to mention their adorable daughters?

I just had to remind you how cute they were, in case you didn’t get enough.