Former First Lady Michelle Obama recently launched her new podcast, The Light. Through the podcast, the former First Lady shares conversations with public figures, discusses pertinent topics and reflects on her career and life thus far. Recently, she returned to her time in the White House. As she explains, she and her family felt an enhanced sense of pressure to represent Black residents throughout their time in the nation’s capital.
“It was no accident that the administration was scandal-free. It was no accident that…our children had to show up right in the world. They carried a burden of making sure they weren’t messy, because it wouldn’t have been laughed off. It wouldn’t have been just, ‘Oh, it’s youthful, whatever.’ It would have been some bigger statement about the soul of Black folks,” Obama said.
“So we didn’t underestimate that. But that, that weight is exhausting when you’re carrying that.”
This is not the first time that the best-selling author has used her podcast to speak about her time in the White House. Previously, she talked about her last few days on Pennsylvania Avenue and how she handled the transition into the private sector.
“There were tears, there was that emotion. But then to sit on that stage and watch the opposite of what we represented on display,” she said, referring to the inauguration of Donald Trump.
“There was no diversity, there was no color on that stage, there was no reflection of the broader sense of America.”
It’s safe to say that the former First Lady has found her footing since leaving the White House. She has become a best-selling author, embarked on a world book tour and ventured into the media industry.
