In the almost-decade since she moved into the White House, Michelle Obama has been one of the most constant examples of a high profile black woman, worldwide.
Thrust into the spotlight, and with every part of her up for scrutiny since that moment, Michelle Obama’s journey, though groundbreaking and a landmark of history, has often been an amplification of the microaggressions faced by black women for longer than any of us can remember.
Because of this, I’ve always felt in awe of Michelle Obama, as well as protective of her when unjust criticism is hurled in her direction. Now somewhat free from the constraints of the White House, and the title of First Lady, Michelle is actively courting the public gaze, in promotion of new book ‘Becoming’, and for one night only, she appeared at London’s Southbank Centre to speak about some of her incredible life experiences.
There was a lot I was hoping to get out of her sold-out conversation with another personal hero, novelist Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. Happily, I wasn’t disappointed – in fact, I, as well as I’m sure many others in the audience, walked out feeling inspired.
Mrs Obama opened up on a wide range of topics, including love, differences between African-American and African cultural practices, the control that ‘optics’ had over every detail of her life – and, even after over an hour of conversation, the audience weren’t ready for her to leave. Instantly personable and skilled with words, she had the room held with every sentence. A remarkable woman in her own right, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie handled the discussion with charm, and that undying level of Nigerian pride that borders close to arrogance, but remains endearing. One of the most enjoyable elements of Chimamanda’s command of the conversation was the fact that she wasn’t afraid to get specific in parts that desperately needed it – and in one of these was in the fact that Michelle Obama has been such an important figure for black women, specifically.
Michelle Obama discusses her memoir BECOMING with Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie in an exclusive UK event in Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall in collaboration with Penguin Live on Mon. 3 Dec. 2018. Photo by Mark Allan/Southbank Centre
In the control of another interviewer, we might have gotten some lighter, more general answers that we may have already seen at other points of the book tour. However, Chimamanda, knowing the uniqueness of the opportunity at hand, asked the former First Lady things that plenty of other black women would love to know, as well – an example being advice on navigating life as a young black woman.
‘What happens to black women is that we become a caricature,’ Michelle Obama responded, understanding exactly where the struggles lie. ‘People will literally take our voices; they will take the things from us that they like. The size of our hips, all of a sudden, is ‘in’. Our style, our swag, it becomes co-opted – but then, we’re demonised. We are angry, we are too loud, we’re too everything, and I experienced that, just by campaigning, speaking truth to power – how dare I have a voice, and use it?’
She, of all people, knows what comes with being a black woman who dares to have an opinion. However, it has only emboldened her, and she tells others who have hurdles to get over to use these moments to get ready – because when the time comes to show your greatness, you have to be prepared to show people who you are.
Michelle Obama was magnetic from the moment she came out onto the main stage, waving and smiling warmly at the standing ovations in front of her. I try to take public appearances and interviews of this magnitude with a grain of salt – everyone has something to promote, something they want to get across, an agenda – and at its heart, there’s nothing wrong with that. However, Michelle Obama’s reason for holding court in front of the expectant and eager London crowd didn’t feel unnatural, or as if there’s a political line she had to toe to hit some ‘buzzword’ checklist.
This was the real her, in conversation with another black woman, about the various ways in which Michelle Obama’s story has become such a fascinating, and motivating tale. Both with different stories, different backgrounds and different experiences in the public eye, Michelle and Chimamanda were united in the amount of inspiration they managed to elicit from a room of fans, old and new.
With the Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall seating nearly 3000 people, this was not a small crowd by any means – but far from enough space to house the thousands who tried to get tickets last month. With valid questions being raised on the ‘fairness’ of the availability of the spaces, and whether many black women would even get to experience something so specifically important to us, it was somewhat encouraging that I looked around and saw a number of fellow black journalists, and creative talents such as Michaela Coel, Clara Amfo, Adwoa Aboah and Chidera Eggerue (The Slumflower), in attendance as well. 300 school children were also invited to share in the moment, and it’s one that I doubt they’ll forget any time soon; I surely won’t.
