Michelle Obama’s Impact on African American Women and Girls

This edited collection explores how First Lady Michelle Obama gradually expanded and broadened her role by engaging in social, political and economic activities which directly and indirectly impacted the lives of the American people, especially young women and girls. The volume responds to the various representations of Michelle Obama and how the language and images used to depict her either affirmed, offended, represented or misrepresented her and its authors.  It is an interdisciplinary evaluation by African American women and girls of the First Lady’s overall impact through several media, including original artwork and poetry. It also examines her political activities during and post-election 2016.

1. Introduction.- 2. Queen of Grace and Power (Rhonda Gray).- 3. Power (Stenetta Anthony).- 4. Michelle Obama as Administrator: Reflections (Barbara J. Edwards).- 5. First Ladies/First Wives, First Women Presidents: Sexuality, Leadership and Power in the African Diaspora (Carole Boyce Davies).- 6. Michelle Obama and Black Women as Alchemists (Ruby Mendenhall).- 7. Michelle Obama: Flight vs. Flight (Yasmine Huggins).- 8. When and Where I Enter (Jasmine J. Wyatt).- 9. Dark and Lovely (Rhonda Gray).- 10. Mrs. Michelle Obama (Hazel Marie Watson).- 11. Michelle Obama: American—Whether You Like it or Not (Michelle Duster).- 12. My Hero (Sandy Philippeaux).- 13. “A Quiet Untold Story of Profound Need:” The Activism, Partnerships, and Advocacy of First Lady Michelle Obama, Dr. Jill Biden, and Military Families (Rose C. Thevenin).- 14. Celebrating African American Women Through Dance at the White House (Daveisha Gibson).- 15. Lets Move! with Michelle Obama (Rachelle J. Brunn-Bevel, Kristin Richardson).- 16. Striving in Style (Kenisha Coy).- 17. Unapologetic (Rhonda Gray).- 18. Michelle’s Arms (Verna Hampton).- 19. A Woman “Other Women Talk About”: Michelle Obama and the “Looks” of First Black Ladyhood (Tiffany Austin).- 20. “Eating the Right Way”: Michelle Obama and Healthy Habits (Maurisha Ebanks).- 21. Michelle Obama Raising Black Daughters to Be Magic (Duchess Harris, Avi Thomas).- 22. Reconfiguring Black Motherhood: Michelle Obama and the “Mom in Charge Trope” (Paula Marie Seniors).- 23. The Beauty of Michelle Obama (Terra Renee).- 24. Michelle Obama: Marching to the Beat of Her Own Strengths and Defying Negative Stereotypes Along the Way (Leah T. Johnson).- 25. Dreams of a Wildflower (Rhonda Gray).- 26. A Free Spirited Dream (Chamille Weddington).- 27. Black Girl Rocks: Michelle Obama, My Inspiration (Trishaun Hall).- 28. Downton (Cr)Abbey: The First Lady, Hecklers and the Demise of Decorum (Lisalyn R. Jacobs).- 29. Recipes for Michelle (Suzannah Grace Sese-khalid Jones).- 30. And Then There Was Michelle Obama: Reflections from a Baby-Boomer Educator and a Millennial Young Woman (Michelle Howard-Vital, Madelyn Vital).- 31. Multiple Sclerosis: An Unintended Motivator for First Lady Michelle Obama and Dr. Deidre Hill Butler (Deidre Hill Butler).- 32. Brown Girl Challenge (Clara Freeman).- 33. Election 2016 and Michelle Obama (Patiqua Rolle).- 34. ‘Living Out Loud’: Michelle Obama and Election 2016 (Rose C. Thevenin).- 35. A Title Removed: First Lady Michelle Obama Since Leaving the White House (Charleigha P. Knowles).- 36. The Legacy of Michelle Obama Will Live On (Michelle Duster).- 37. You Dared (Michelle Duster).- 38. Conclusion.

Michelle Duster is an author, speaker and educator who teaches writing at Columbia College Chicago, USA. She co-wrote, co-edited and contributed to eight other books. Born and raised on the Southside of Chicago, she earned her BA in Psychology from Dartmouth College and her MA in Media Studies from The New School.

Paula Marie Seniors is an associate professor at Virginia Tech, USA, biographer of her family’s legacy in Mae Mallory, the Monroe Defense Committee and World Revolutions: African American Women Radical Activists and award-winning author of Beyond Lift Every Voice and Sing: The Culture of Uplift, Identity and Politics in Black Musical Theater.