Lift ev’ry voice and sing, till earth and heaven ring, ring with the harmonies of liberty.” — James Weldon Johnson, “Lift Every Voice And Sing”Enthralled in a crescendo of disbelief, I watched as Michelle Obama, in just three sentences, destroyed Donald Trump for maligning her and her husband, denounced his racism, and declared him unworthy of power.
As she raptured the crowd at the Democratic National Convention into a state of euphoria, it was evident that our Forever First Lady was in peerless form.
Watching her speech from my childhood home in Miami last week, I felt split between two perspectives: one absorbing the substance of her words and the other captivated by her performance.
While the speech effectively served its political purpose, the grace, depth, and agility of her delivery revealed something far more profound and significant.A post shared by Michelle Obama (@michelleobama)Subscribe to Native Son’s newsletter for more news, information, and conversations about Black gay and queer everything.From the moment she appeared on stage clad in a deconstructed navy blue suit, Michelle stood at the lectern like a sentinel prepared to deny us entry to the castle.
But the early moments of her speech revealed that though she was a loyal agent of the establishment, she was also a secret co-conspirator of the people, eager to point us in a different direction.This fortitude comes from her late mother, Marian Robinson.
“The woman who showed me the meaning of hard work and humility and decency, the woman who set my moral compass high and showed me the power of my voice.”
Michelle’s grief was visible and evocative.
She sacrificed a lot to be on that stage, and by invoking her mother as her moral anchor, she reminded us that though she is in politics, her values are not sourced from political calculations or strategic triangulations. She is no empty vessel.Throughout her speech, she coaxed her audience into appreciating a more profound significance of what it means to
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