'Black Girls Rock!'

[Jazzy]

First Lady Michelle Obama celebrated the beauty, power and tenacity of black women while spreading her own message of education for girls at Black Girls Rock!, an annual event honoring trailblazing women of color from all walks of life.

"No matter who you are, no matter where you come from, you are beautiful," Obama told the crowd, which included many young black girls.

"I am so proud of you. My husband, your president, is so proud of you," she added. "We have so much hope and dreams for you."

Obama was not among the honorees at Saturday night's festivities, held at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center. That distinction went to actress Jada Pinkett Smith, singer Erykah Badu, actress Cicely Tyson, "Selma" director Ava DuVernay, educator Nadia Lopez and Dr. Helene D. Gayle, president and CEO of CARE USA, a humanitarian organization.

However, Obama was the most celebrated participant. Wearing a form-fitting white dress, she jammed to performances from the likes of Badu, Fantasia, Sheila E!, Estelle and others and applauded the honorees.

Obama got arguably the night's loudest ovation as she came on stage and declared "Black girls rock!" — the slogan and name of the organization founded by Beverly Bond. It is designed to uplift young black girls, a group that often has difficulty finding positive and reaffirming images of themselves in the world.

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No ill will to Black Girls Rock!, but I wonder what would have happened if Mrs. Bush or Clinton if they had attended an event entitled, White Girls Rock...my guess, stuff would have hit the fan. I am not saying that this event shouldn't have happened, but I'd like to be able to say that I'm proud to be white without being called a racist. I think any nationality or culture has the right to be proud of themselves, to celebrate themselves, but when my race does it, it's a crime against humanity.

Your thoughts?

 

[Dee]

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No ill will to Black Girls Rock!, but I wonder what would have happened if Mrs. Bush or Clinton if they had attended an event entitled, White Girls Rock...my guess, stuff would have hit the fan. I am not saying that this event shouldn't have happened, but I'd like to be able to say that I'm proud to be white without being called a racist. I think any nationality or culture has the right to be proud of themselves, to celebrate themselves, but when my race does it, it's a crime against humanity.

Your thoughts?

I can see where there is discord between white and black people, even to this day. I don't necessarily agree that white people shouldn't be allowed to be proud of being white, but neither should black people, hispanic, asian, etc. When white people use the excuse, "Oh, it just tears us apart as a people," when black people celebrate themselves and then turn around and do the exact same thing by praising themselves as being white, there's no real achievement. When we understand WHY black people feel the need to praise themselves for being the skin color they are, then we can begin to figure out a way to respect that and not tear the proudness away by declaring it as "racist" or unfair. There does exist a privilege regardless of whether white people want to see/accept it or not, and racism still does exist. It's a double-edged sword really, and there are going to be a lot of ignorant people getting offended by certain things that happen because of a lack of knowledge as to why it goes on.

 

[mrldii]

As Dee pointed out, any time someone identifies with a group of people who are seen politically, socially, and economically as "lesser-than" and they have reached a 'power position', they're going to use that celebrity to its full advantage.

Several First Ladies have embraced and promoted their own self-identified group with a "lesser-than" status, as [white] women, when fighting for equality of the sexes; Hillary Clinton still fights for it, today.




(Calm down, boys...I said "equality", NOT "sameness"; there's a world of difference.)

 

[DrLeftover]

How is Mrs. O's statement not both sexist and racist?

 

[mrldii]

How is Mrs. O's statement not both sexist and racist?

I explained how it's not in my post, which was right above yours.

"I write...do you read?"