Michelle Obama's Greatest Speech

America as she sees it is better than we're often led to believe.

Last week, Barack and Michelle Obama headed back to the White House for the unveiling of their official portraits. Both spoke with humor and grace, but it was Michelle’s speech that will be remembered for its inspirational tones.

“A girl like me, she was never supposed to be up there next to Jacqueline Kennedy and Dolley Madison. She was never supposed to live in this house, and she definitely wasn't supposed to serve as First Lady."

Photo by frank mckenna on Unsplash

We know that Michelle is speaking of her personal situation: a Black woman who grew up poor in inner-city Chicago. Not that long ago, she would have had a better chance of working for the First Lady instead of being the First Lady. Her words at the unveiling of her portrait provide an opportunity not only to see our country’s faults but also to realize, thankfully, how far we’ve actually come.

She continued: "But what we're looking at today — a portrait of a biracial kid with an unusual name and the daughter of a water pump operator and a stay-at-home mom — what we're seeing is that there's a reminder that there's a place for everyone in this country because, as Barack said, the two of us can end up on the walls of the most famous address in the world."

And that is good news for everyone.

At a time when we’re told we cannot unite ourselves due to racial, gender and socioeconomic differences, Michelle Obama is saying, “Yes, we can.”

Here’s more from her speech at the White House:

"It’s not about blood or pedigree or wealth, it's a place where everyone should have a fair shot, whether you're a kid taking two buses and a train just to get to school or a single mother who's working two jobs to put some food on the table or an immigrant just arriving, getting your first apartment, forging a future for yourself in a place you dreamed of.

"That's why this day isn't about me or Barack, it's not even about these beautiful paintings. It's about telling that fuller story, a story that includes every single American and every single corner of the country so that our kids and grandkids can see something more for themselves."

These are not political statements; they are purely, morally human statements. If we would only stop to listen to these words, we might believe in them and start to live our lives as though they were true.