Full disclosure. I adore the Obama girls/women. I have enjoyed watching them grow up. I am a huge fan of their mother and respect her for the two beautiful daughters that she and the President are raising. I absolutely love seeing pictures of them and respect that they have for the most part been kept out of the media.
I was tickled when I saw the "Turkey pardon" because stop the presses...they acted like normal teenagers. I was also blown away by how tall and beautiful and posed these two young ladies were. But that being said, I love the Obama girls and Michelle because they represent a side of Black America that is rarely shown in America.
The majority of black teens, women and men that are successful, beautiful, law abiding citizens.
In the wake of Trayvon Martin and Michael Brown, I sometimes feel myself feeling weary. Weary of how Black teens and black people are portrayed by the media. Every time I hear about one of these injustices, I brace myself for whatever "dirt" that the media is going to dig up and use to justify and smear why someone was murdered. It's annoying and frustrating.
It is also the reason you see people like Elizabeth Lauten try to tear down two innocent girls. Malia and Sasha represent an unknown to her. Educated, beautiful, tall, normal, BLACK teenage girls. Magical unicorns that don't exist to one half of this country.
I was once a young, pretty, smart black teenager. I am now a (feel young in my heart) but older successful black woman. I'm not a unicorn. In fact, I am just a number in the MAJORITY of black people. Let me repeat that. The MAJORITY of black people are law abiding, successful educated citizens.
It kills people like Elizabeth Lauten to be confronted by those facts. It kills her to see two girls who are just like any other American girl. They aren't falling out bars (cough Bush girls) or pregnant and getting in fist fights (cough Palin girls).
I just want to be very clear about Elizabeth Lauten words...
Dress like you deserve respect, not a spot at a bar.
The rest of her statement is silly and completely appropriate for a Malia eye roll but this line really got to me. She is talking about a 13 year old and a 16 year old.
Black boys are "thugs" and black girls are a "spot at a bar". That is the running theme black children hear from the media over and over again.
Michelle, Malia and Sasha represent the true side of Black America. We are your President, doctors, lawyers, mechanics, teacher's and yes even the dreaded Wall Street Banker. We are not anomalies. We are the norm.
I think that there is this idea the Obama family (all of them) are this magical unicorn family that are paving the way for Black America. They aren't. We were always here. It's just finally now that we are being truly shown in America.
P.S. One final note. The controversy with the daughters has just begun unfortunately. College session is just around the corner for Malia. And that is going to bring out a world of racist feelings. I hope that it serves as another teaching opportunity not only for the right but ALSO for the left on the true meaning of Affirmative Action and how it is and ISN'T applied.