I have never been a fan of Michelle.
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| John Conyers, Jr. & Michelle Obama at Detroit Institute of Arts |
She has refrained from allowing the words of foster care and adoption to leave her lips in public.
That means she is either ignorant, or complicit in the suppression of the trafficking of tiny humans, of which I elect the latter.
I have heard chatter that she has a familiarity with the SOS Children's Village of Illinois, but do not know if she addresses this in her book, as I shall make it a point to never find the time to read it.
I wonder if she shared, in her new book, stories about Bobby Rush and that "royal clique" who have a strong aversion to those who hail from the fairer persuasion.
But, allow me to stop there because opening up to tell one's story is the focus of her book tour.
Perhaps, she could help America become 'a little unlost right now' by telling her story about child welfare and the politics behind it.
Michelle Obama in Detroit: America is 'a little lost right now'
For the women who showed up at Little Caesars Arena on Tuesday night, seeing Michelle Obama was like meeting up with their super-smart best friend who just happens to be the former first lady of the United States and author of the best-selling hardcover book of the year.
They praised her intelligence, her poise, her grace, her style, her penchant for shopping at Target, her ability to live in the spotlight but remain down to earth. "She was a regular person, she was relatable," said Jacqueline Coleman, who lives in Lansing and brought her sister to the event as a birthday gift.
"She is an African-American woman who stands for peace," said Devin Massengale, who is 34 and lives in Detroit. "She speaks for the people."
But maybe Donna Ford-Brown, a 60-year-old Detroiter, best summed up the connection so many women feel with Obama: "She's us."
Obama took the stage in front of a sold-out audience of about 12,000 as Alicia Key's "Girl on Fire" pumped in the background.
On the latest stop of the book tour for her memoir "Becoming," Obama spoke about growing up in her hardworking family on the south side of Chicago, being a black student at a majority white Ivy League college, how she met her husband and wasn't interested in dating him, at first. "It's really the fuller picture of who they are and how they treat women in the world. That's not something you learn the first date or two," she said. "That's one of the reasons why I don't believe in love at first sight. Love is just so much deeper. ... I got to see that in Barack before I even considered him as a person to date."
Obama talked about the scrutiny that she and her family endured as the first black family in the White House. "We can't make mistakes. We can't get indicted," she said, as the crowd roared with approval at the zing of the current president's administration. "There is a difference in standards," she said. "We are seeing that right now. We live with double standards all the time."
People need to get to know themselves and each other, Obama said. And that's the purpose of her book.
"For me, I knew that, for folks to really understand me, they needed to know my whole story and they needed to know the context of my life. ... I think that's true for all of us. ... We see the superficial. We see each other through stats and skin color and race and party and that tells us nothing about each other ... which is why we feel so disconnected. ... We have to share ourselves with each other if we want to break this cycle of discontent and fear, we have to be brave enough to open ourselves up to each other. ... It's hard to hate up close."
The program, billed as an intimate conversation, was moderated by comedian Phoebe Robinson, who promised a "deep and profound" conversation.
Obama ended up being a motivational speaker ("women need to learn to stop putting themselves last"), big sister ("young people need to explore more possibilities so they don't pick the wrong career") and best friend.
"No matter what we're feeling now, I've traveled all around this country, there is more good, more possibility, more kindness, more openness than than not," Obama said. "The here truly is. I'm an honest broker. If I was seeing stuff ... I would tell you. We're just a little lost right now."
Women described her message as uplifting yet real.
"I think she is a true role model for any person," said Katherine Kochanek, who is 49 and lives in South Lyon.
"I'm so proud of her and what she accomplished," said Denise Coleman of Detroit. Her sister treated her to the event as a birthday gift.
And if she had the chance to talk to Obama, here's what she would say: "Thank you."
Sales of the book, which hit the stores four weeks ago, have exceeded 3 million, according to its publisher, Crown Publishing. The hardcover version of "Becoming" is $32.50.
Also on Tuesday, Obama's book tour was extended to include 21 more cities in 2019.
Former First Lady Michelle Obama makes a surprise visit at the Motown Museum in conjunction with her "Becoming" book tour. Detroit Free Press
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