Black moms have a way of saying and doing some things probably unlike any other persons in America. That’s why Michelle Obama would make such a fantastic First Lady of the United States.
She sounds like my wife, Carmen, when it’s time to get serious with our daughters Bryson and Blaine.
She sounds like my mom, Erma Reid, when she used to make a point to my sister Nadine and me.
And I’m sure the Obama daughters, Malia and Sasha, are quite aware when Mom isn’t playing around.
And make no mistake: Michelle Obama is very serious about African-American voter registration and participation.
We spoke for a few minutes on Monday, and Mrs. Obama says quite matter-of-factly that black people have no excuse for not voting and making sure others vote as well on Nov. 4.
“If we look back on Nov. 5 and don’t have the outcome we desire, it’s on us,” Obama said with a stern eloquence.
“If we decide to take control, we can make it happen.”
Obama was in Kansas City on Wednesday stumping for her husband and calling on people of all races to register to vote before Oct. 8, which is the deadline for voter registration.
To the chagrin of the McCain campaign, Missouri is still very much in play just a month before Election Day.
“That’s why voter registration is so critical,” Obama said.
“We see the registration numbers, and there is still so much room for growth. Just a thousand votes can make a difference.”
She said the campaign is seeing registration numbers going up, “but we are not taking anything for granted.”
Like a mom demanding the most of her children, she made it clear to me that voting is not the end of African Americans’ Nov. 4 responsibility.
“We want people to vote early, so then they can go help make sure others vote,” she told me.
“Help an elderly person get to the polls. Work at a poll and help make sure there is no foolishness.”
And in a way only a black mom can do, she preached perseverance.
“We want to see long lines and we don’t want people to give up,” she said of the patience it might take to vote on a day when record voter turnout is predicted across the nation.
Obama probably will visit St. Louis again during the campaign, though she acknowledged that her schedule could change on a daily basis. And she admitted with a laugh that “I never know Barack’s schedule.”
“It’s hour-to-hour, but we’re making a point to reach all the swing states,” she said.
Michelle Obama’s finest hour of the campaign was her speech in Denver during the Democratic National Convention.
Whatever the McCain campaign had to say about her suddenly ceased to matter after she told the nation who she was and what she was about.
This beautiful, intelligent, hard-working black mom put naysayers in their place, just as she would do with an errant child.
She wasn’t mean. But she meant business.
When the Obama family appears together, I often wonder what those who mock Barack Obama see.
Aren’t the Obamas everything that white America wants black people to be?
The children’s manners are impeccable. The parents have devoted themselves to education, public service and spiritual awareness. And, while it should not have to be said (but must be), the Obamas are Christians and their faith in Jesus is solid as a rock.
When you speak with Michelle Obama, you’re in conversation with a special woman.
But, at the same time, you’re talking to many black moms. The ones that refuse to accept anything but the best from their children.
She is refusing to accept anything but the best effort from Black America on Nov. 4.
Let’s make Mom proud.
