We all watched in horror and outrage but not surprise as our beloved, former First Lady became the target of several racially motivated attacks during her tenure in the White House.
According to the Denver Post, during a sit down in Denver yesterday, at the Women’s Foundation of Colorado’s 30th anniversary event, WFCO President and CEO Lauren Casteel spoke about Mrs. Obama breaking through the glass ceiling as the first Black woman in the White House. Then she asked which shards of glass cut her the deepest.
“The shards that cut me the deepest were the ones that intended to cut,” she said, referencing being called an ape and people talking about her bottom. “Knowing that after eight years of working really hard for this country, there are still people who won’t see me for what I am because of my skin color.”
Mrs. Obama said that she can’t pretend that it doesn’t hurt.
“Women, we endure those cuts in so many ways that we don’t even notice we’re cut,” she said. “We are living with small tiny cuts, and we are bleeding every single day. And we’re still getting up.”
Obama said pretending like it doesn’t hurt lets those who’ve done the cutting off the hook.
“Women, we endure those cuts in so many ways that we don’t even notice we’re cut,” she said. “We are living with small tiny cuts, and we are bleeding every single day. And we’re still getting up.”
Still, Mrs. Obama said that women should own their scars and use them to encourage the next generation of women and young girls who are getting their first cuts.
And while our current president has some of us feeling like we’re living in the last days, Obama advised the audience and all of us to stay optimistic because our nation is a young one, still learning from their mistakes.
Originally appeared on MadameNoire.com.
Written by Veronica Wells.
Image via Getty.