Politics

On the 100th day of the first term of the first black president of the United States, lawyers for a small utility district in Travis County, Texas, walked up the steps of the Supreme Court Building to ask the nine justices of the court to dismantle a key provision of the Voting Rights Act of…

Michelle Obama is showing her humanity in a very interesting and very clear and personal way—it’s bringing people in, putting her hands in the dirt, not being controlled every single moment, and just carrying her own head. As the Yoruba people say—carry your own head. I admire her intelligence, and her phenomenal love for her…

First lady Michelle Obama has simply rocked these first 100 days as well as the decades before that have led her family and this country to our present day. Her grace, strength and intelligence in everything from pep talks at federal departments to engagement with the city in which she now lives demonstrates that without…

The first lady during the first 100 days has just been marvelous; she has helped to give America a new sense of hope. They’ve been a people’s family; they displayed a sense of caring and a sense of sharing and getting other people in America to look out for each other. But more than giving…

For those of us who call the nation’s capital our home, Mrs. Obama has become a neighbor and community activist. From Day One, she has been reaching out to the D.C. community, visiting the children from the city’s working-class and underprivileged households to tell them that her childhood was much like theirs and that through…

There is a certain majesty about the way Michelle Obama approaches her role. It shows, at the same time, a humility, and in some ways, the spirit of a community organizer. When she was talking about being mom in chief, she’s not saying that she’s exclusively concerned about her own family, but rather the role…

Well, it’s been a rather extraordinary 100 days, and I never imagined that she would plant a garden and talk about the issue of food in relationship to hunger by presenting herself in a soup kitchen, and in relation to agriculture by making a garden and bringing schoolchildren into that experience. It’s striking—and a message…

It’s almost a perfect storm of factors that make her an effective first lady, a role model in general and an exciting role model for African-American women. I think that she brings a dignity but also an earthiness to the job of first lady—and it is a job. I think that she has clearly put…

Michelle Obama stands out for her portrayal of strong black family life and values. Everything they do—the kids, the school, the holding hands…. To show black love at that level, at the highest level of American authority, to show black love which the media has told us doesn’t exist, that’s been the best part for…

I think she has brought a freshness to the White House, but in addition, her professional skills and her people skills are so good. She began with letting it be known that she was interested in people and that she wanted to be a part of her community and a part of the nation. I…