‘Hope Returns’: Michelle Obama’s Powerful DNC Speech Endorses Kamala Harris, Tells Trump Presidency Might Just Be ‘Dirty Work’ – Essence

Michelle Obama returned to her hometown of Chicago Tuesday night, where she delivered a passionate and unequivocal endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris in the course of the second night of the Democratic National Convention. The former first lady, revered for her grace and poise, made no bones about addressing delegates in a speech during which she denounced Donald Trump and honored Harris with a message that “hope is back.”

“There’s something wonderfully magical in the air, isn’t there?” the previous first lady said. “It’s the contagious power of hope.” She continued: “As we embrace this renewed sense of hope, let’s not forget the despair that we’ve felt…let’s not forget what we’re up against,” Obama said.

Obama was direct and candid throughout her speech, particularly when discussing the racism she and former President Barack Obama faced during their eight years within the White House — racism that was often stoked by Trump himself. The former president has notoriously perpetuated the “birtherism” conspiracy, questioning the birthplace and legitimacy of Barack Obama, the nation’s first black president.

“Donald Trump has spent years trying to make people afraid of us,” Obama said. “His narrow, limited view of the world made him feel threatened by two hard-working, educated, successful men — who happen to be black.”

Former first lady Michelle Obama last spoke on the Democratic convention in 2016. The country was within the midst of a contentious and vulgar presidential campaign, and it seemed as if when Trump descended the golden staircase to announce his candidacy for president, he took all the country with him.

In an try to elevate the discussion and rise above the vitriol, Obama uttered the now iconic line:When they go low, we go high.” But after 34 felony convictions, two impeachments, and one riot, Mrs. Obama was in a unique mood last night, directly criticizing Trump and calling on all Americans who consider Trump is unfit to be president to work hard to elect Kamala Harris.

In a moment that resonated with the audience, Obama took a jab at Trump. “Wait, I want to know — who’s going to tell him that the job he’s looking for right now might be one of those ‘dark jobs’?” she joked, referring to Trump’s controversial comment during a June presidential debate on CNN that drew applause from hundreds of convention delegates.

Mrs. Obama has openly condemned Trump and the threat she believes he poses to the nation and its democratic values, calling out his spread of “misogynist, racist lies,” his rule of taking away people’s freedom to make decisions about their very own bodies, banning books and his disrespectful treatment of the LBTQ community.

She was blunt about why she thought Trump was unfit for the job: “Omitting is petty, unhealthy, and frankly, unpresidential. Why would we accept that from anyone running for our highest office? Why would we normalize this type of backward leadership?” She continued: “We deserve so much better. That’s why we need to do everything we can to elect two of these good, generous people, there’s no other choice but Kamala Harris and Tim Walz!”

The former first lady drew a parallel between her own upbringing and the values ​​her mother instilled in her, and Harris’s: “Even though our mothers grew up overseas, they shared the same beliefs in this country.” Obama then shared more about Harris’ mother: “She taught Kamala about justice… about our duty to lift others up, our responsibility to give more than we take.”

Calling Harris “one of the most qualified people to ever run for president,” she touted Harris’s rapport as a strength: “Her story is your story, it’s my story… Kamala knows, as we do, that no matter where you come from, what you look like, who you love, how you worship, or how much money you have in your bank account, we all deserve a chance to build a life of dignity, and all of our accomplishments deserve to be accepted and celebrated,” she said.

Obama then drew a stark contrast between Harris’ worldview and Trump’s declaration:

“She understands that most of us will never have the grace to fail and move forward, we will never benefit from the positive effects of generational wealth.” Obama continued: “If things aren’t going our way, we can’t afford to whine or cheat others to keep moving forward. We can’t change the rules, so we always win… No, we put our heads down; we get to work. In America, we do something,” she said.

In a sentiment echoed by various DNC speakers, Obama said Harris’s “can-do” spirit was evident throughout her life, “the steel of her backbone, the steadfastness of her upbringing, the integrity of her example, and yes, the joy of her laughter and her light. It couldn’t be more obvious of the two leading candidates in this race that only Kamala Harris truly understands the unseen work and unwavering commitment that has always made America great.”

The Obamas understand the withering attacks Harris will endure on her path to the best office within the land. And she warned the audience that they have to be prepared: “No matter how good we feel tonight, tomorrow, the day after, this is going to be an uphill battle, so we can’t be our own worst enemies. No, the moment something goes wrong, the moment the lie takes root, we can’t start wringing our hands.” She continued: “We can’t indulge in our fears about whether this country will elect someone like Kamala, instead of doing everything we can to get someone like Kamala elected.”

Our everlasting First Lady then encouraged the audience to “Do Something!” to make it occur at every turn. Obama also reminded everyone that they should not powerless and that this election might be won with enough effort. “We have the power to pass on the love, sweat and sacrifice of our mothers and fathers and all those who came before us. We’ve done it before and we can certainly do it again,” she said.