Continuing the summer of service campaign with congressional families, the First Lady fired them up with hints of the fun to come at the White House luau later in the day, after they'd've packed 15,000 backpacks for children of military families. She mimed a bit of hula, which sent the President into chuckles and led to a side squeeze. Check out the clip starting at 1:40.
Read more . . .
27 June 2009
21 June 2009
Her Father's Daughter
Amidst the talk of the prevalence of single mothers in the black community and absent fathers, remember Fraser Robinson, Michelle Obama's dad, who I must venture to guess was not an anomaly. The legend of Fraser Robinson has been well told, he worked hard as a boiler fitter for the City of Chicago to support his family and allow his wife to stay home and raise the family, while battling Multiple Sclerosis. The First Lady seemingly adored her dad -- her brother mentioned her climbing on his lap well into adulthood -- as he has been remembered as both a provider and a nurturer. When the President, who had little contact with his own father, invited high school aged boys to the White House to barbecue and meet with mentors this week, mirroring the First Lady's mentoring day for girls, he had to be thinking of Fraser Robinson, and others like him, who committed to the mundane and fulfilling tasks of fathering.
Read more . . .
17 June 2009
Spotted
A Bancroft Elementary School student walking down the street in her White House visit uniform -- school t-shirt and jeans. This time, harvesting and lunch (73 pounds of lettuce and 12 pounds of peas).
Read more . . .
16 June 2009
Brand New Day
The latest attempt to re-brand the White House the People's House -- a jazz workshop in the White House for 150 musically inclined youth from DC and New Orleans led by the esteemed Family of Marsalis. "Blues is what connects us to the earth," trumpetist Wynton Marsalis told the students with whom he worked. "It keeps us grounded, gives us the spirit behind this music. It makes us holler and scream and shout through our horns." It all worked for student musician Kyle Wedberg, the president of his school, the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts. “This says that normal, everyday Americans have a place in this White House, versus people that have some leverage to get in here." The event coincided with the District's Duke Ellington Jazz Festival, which honored the Marsalis patriarch -- once again bridging the federal and lived cities. Next up country music. Let's see how they work that.
Read more . . .
12 June 2009
Princeton is the New Black
Two mats away at yoga today was one fierce black woman, resting next to her mat -- an orange Princeton Nalgene. I'm sure folks have always been proud of their Princeton degrees, but now with such notable alumni as First Lady Michelle Obama and SCOTUS-to be Sonia Sotomayor, it's got a whole new cache. Go Tigers?
Read more . . .
11 June 2009
Spectrum of Righteousness
The First Lady does not wear fur, but it appears she does eat foie gras. She supports organic gardening and the locovore movement. She exercises regularly but seems to enjoy both her muscles and her curves. She volunteers but wears pricey clothes. She encourages service, speaks extensively at public (ahem, charter) schools, but sends her own two children to an elite private school in the District. Is the personal political? Even if it is, especially for the First Family, can we just be glad that she makes seemingly self reflective and thoughtful choices?
Read more . . .
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
