Thank You President & Mrs. Obama for Your Legacy of Love!

Official portrait by Pete Souza of the Obama family in the Oval Office.

Author's Note: This is not a political post.  I have purposed not to write politically on my blog because politics is so polarizing.  Politics will cause you to lose and gain friends quickly because everyone has an opinion and most think that their opinion is correct.  Well, today we won’t have to agree or disagree about the political climate in America today because while this post is about President Barack Obama it is not about his policies, but about his family.
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Growing up in a predominately black community, there were not a lot of examples of good marriage and family.  Most of the kids in my neighborhoods were being raised by single moms, by a grandparent – usually the Grandmom, or some other female head of household.  I knew very few kids that were living with both their Mom and Dad in the same house.  Growing up, there was not a whole lot of healthy love and affection displayed on TV shows with actors who looked like me.  Until the Cosby Show.  The Cosby Show transformed not only how America saw black families but it also redefined how we as black people saw ourselves.  We had an example for ourselves of what love in a black family could look like.  Cliff and Claire were great parents with great educations and great careers and they really loved their children.  But the Cosby Show was just a TV show and while I knew that there are living examples of this type of loving, well-educated, well-spoken, well-read family in the black community it was like a well-kept secret that was almost too good to share, at least that is how it felt to me.  We all wanted some aspect of that life – The Cosby Show life – whether it was Cliff and Claire’s love for one another or the love they had for their children or just their life in general – there was something wonderful about seeing an image on TV that reflected the good we (black people) could be.  But again, it was just a TV show.

When Barack Obama became the first black president of these United States, almost immediately he began to show the world what real love should look like.  Having matured by this time, I realized that finding, keeping and displaying real love was not just a black issue.  Growing up in a black community “us” was all I knew, but in 2008 I was an adult who knew that America’s divorce rate was hovering around 50% and I also knew that in certain communities, including the black community, the divorce rate was much higher, if we married at all. But just like Cliff and Claire did in the 1980’s and early 1990’s, President and Mrs. Obama defied the stereotypes for love, marriage, family, and education. 

Almost immediately, I could see that President Obama was completely and totally in love with his wife Michelle.  Even after years of being together, you could tell that if she ran to the moon he’d be right behind her.  After years of being together, their public displays of affection were akin to two teenagers in love – she could not keep her eyes off him and he could not keep his eyes off her.  It was so beautiful and so influential. With Hollywood A-listers getting divorces like new dresses; women deciding to just become single moms because they were tired of waiting for the right one; and men deciding that they’d rather play the field than settle down, Barack and Michelle were showing the world a different view.  They were showing the world that you could be educated (they both graduated Harvard Law), well read, well spoken, be black and love your family.  They showed the world that the stereotypes regarding marriage in the black community and in America can be broken.  The Obamas showed us that a husband and wife can both be successful and cheer each other on.  They showed us that PDA (Public Displays of Affection) with our family is not just possible, it’s actually cool.  The Obamas showed us that we don’t have to sacrifice family for our career, we just need to work hard at achieving greatness in both because we can have a successful career, a wonderful family and not have to compromise on either.  The Obamas showed us – not just Black people – but all of us that a good marriage is possible even after 20+ years.  For the last 8 years, I have watched the Obamas not just for political reasons, but because I absolutely love their love. They displayed the perfect balance of cool, charm, grace, and poise no matter where they were all the while, showing the world that being happily married with a beautiful family is not just on TV but it’s happening in real life and it’s on display for all of us to see.
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Today, as President Obama and his family leave the White House for the last time as the First Family of these United States, I am thankful for the example that Obamas have set for marriage, education and family.  It is an example that I will never forget.  

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