I heard this speech by Michelle Obama in 2007. This speech is the reason I gave my support to Barack Obama. I know, Michelle was not the candidate, but her honesty and courage here inspired and even stunned me. She spoke of those things that are not spoken of. And then they shut her up. She might offend someone talking about white privilege.
https://blackwomenforobama.wordpress.com/...
More below:
So these were the voices I was hearing growing up. And they gave me the strength and courage to overcome the doubt and fear I was hearing in other corners of my community. From classmates who thought a black girl with a book was acting white. From teachers who told me not to reach too high because my test scores were too low. And from well-meaning but misguided folks who said, “no, you can’t,” “you’re not smart enough,” and “you’re not ready.” Who said “success isn’t meant for little black girls from the South Side of Chicago.”
And you know what?
When I listened to my own voice and cast the cynics aside, when I forged ahead and overcame the doubts and fears of others about who I was and what I could become, I found that their doubts and fears were misplaced.
I was very impressed as she spoke of those who told her, "No, you can't." And that she didn't listen.
But I think this is the part that hit me in the gut with her fearless honesty:
Funny thing, the more I achieved, the more I found that I was just as ready, just as qualified, just as capable as those who felt entitled to the seat at the table that I was working so hard for. And I realized that those who had been given the mantle of power in this country didn’t have any magic about them. They were no better, no smarter than me. That gnawing sense of self-doubt that is common within all of us is a lie. It’s just in our heads. Nine times out of ten, we are more ready and more prepared than we could ever know.
My own life is proof of that. Because I am not supposed to be here. According to all the statistics, I was not supposed to go to Princeton and Harvard Law because I didn’t come from the right background. I was not supposed to have a successful career in law and non-profit work.
I don't think Michelle was supposed to talk about those who feel they are entitled to a seat at the table. Too "divisive." I am saddened that a voice for change, a voice of such raw honesty and courage, was silenced and told to work on children's menus: a worthy cause, of course, but she could have done so much more.
If you haven't heard or read the speech, the rest of it is golden. Please read it - it is worth five minutes of your life. It is the best of us.