An excerpt from Salon -
On Michelle Obama's inauguration absence: No need to be phony or fake, there's real work to do
At times, pretending is necessary, but at some point, we must stop
By D. Watkins, Editor at Large
 |
| Former first lady Michelle Obama speaks on stage during the second day of the Democratic National Convention at the United Center on August 20, 2024 in Chicago, Illinois. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images) |
Michelle Obama is not going to the Trump inauguration because she is not a phony — great for her. I hope we take this as a lesson on the proper way to resist.
“Former President Barack Obama is confirmed to attend the 60th Inaugural Ceremonies,” the Office of Barack and Michelle Obama said in a recent statement. “Former first lady Michelle Obama will not attend the upcoming inauguration.”
I can't lie, I have never been more joyous after reading a statement from an elected official, because why go to that?
The trend of being a once-elected president and skipping the inauguration began with former President Donald and First Lady Melania Trump back when Biden beat them in 2020. As spectators and people who love this country, we called Trump out for his childish actions, using language like trader and sore loser; however, I guarantee we will not be doing that to Mrs. Obama because: “Who's going to be there?”
“Who's going to be there?” Is a simple but extremely valuable lesson I learned from my late grandmother Thelma back in the ’80s. She had just got back in the house from a long day of fishing. Scrawny me, about nine years old, was charged with the task of grabbing the bucket of catfish she snatched up out of the car and bringing it into the kitchen where they would be scaled, gutted and eventually eaten. My grandma’s great friend, Miss Betty, walked in as I completed my task.
“Glad I caught you, we taken some crabs over sister Paula house,” Mrs. Betty said, “You should come by around six or seven.”
“Who's going to be there?” My grandma replied.
And I don't remember Miss Betty’s answer, or even if my grandma gave a follow-up to that answer — I actually don't even remember if my grandma traveled to Paula’s house or not — but what I do remember is the look on grandma's face when she uttered those 5 words, "Who's going to be there?" The two women shared a laugh and even though I didn't fully get it, I kind of got it. As I grew older “Who's going to be there?” had officially become a part of my language, especially after I surpassed the teenage and young adult need to be phony. I imagine former First Lady Michelle Obama has fully ended her phony stage after the first Trump inauguration, which she attended.
~~~~~~~~~~
The phoniness that Michelle Obama had to subscribe to obviously isn't connected to a need for success in any way. Next to Oprah and Beyoncé, she's probably the most famous Black woman on the globe. The phoniness displayed by Mrs. Obama is directly attached to her husband being the first Black president, the coolest president, the most likable president — perhaps the only Black person in American history who was savvy enough to get white racists to vote for him. I’m sure Mrs. Obama — a woman who took her love for this country very seriously — knew that the 2016 presidential inauguration was the beginning of a four-year disgusting joke made up of inexperience, racism and goofy theatrics. She was too good to attend that inauguration, but she is also a great woman who decided to stand with her husband. Thankfully Mrs. Obama has evolved past that and I believe we should take this as a lesson.
