Last Thursday afternoon, First Lady Michelle Obama spoke at a Hillary Clinton rally in New Hampshire. This was by far one of the most powerful speeches of this election season. FLOTUS spoke about the International Day of the Girl that occurred on October 11 and the celebration at the White House that focused on empowering girls. Just days before this celebration, a tape was released documenting the crude and sexist comments of the GOP Presidential Candidate. Michelle Obama talked about these comments as well as gender equality in the nation.
Just like all of her previous speeches, this one certainly did not disappoint. It was eloquent, beautiful, and very, very important to the current state of the election. First expressing understanding and concern for those who have been subject to hateful behavior, FLOTUS then stated, "I can't believe that I'm saying that a candidate for President of the United States has bragged about sexually assaulting women." I personally cannot believe this either. I do not understand how we as women, as Americans, as people in general, can condone this behavior from a presidential candidate.
While she did not outright name Trump, it is obvious that she was speaking about his unacceptable actions. Obama stated, "This is disgraceful. It is intolerable. And it doesn't matter what party you belong to -- Democrat, Republican, independent -- no woman deserves to be treated this way. None of us deserve this kind of abuse." Demeaning and sexist comments happen way too often to women across the nation. We do not need to endure this any longer. She also added, “I listen to all of this and I feel it so personally, and I'm sure that many of you do too, particularly the women. The shameful comments about our bodies. The disrespect of our ambitions and intellect. The belief that you can do anything you want to a woman.”
This election is not just about politics. This election is about basic human decency. It is 100% unacceptable to have a man as President that has constantly put down women and thought nothing of it. For decades, women have had to work harder to prove themselves in even simple things. We cannot stand to have a man who believes that supposed "locker-room talk" is okay. Also, “To dismiss this as locker-room talk is an insult to men everywhere.”
"This is not something we can ignore. It's not something we can just sweep under the rug as just another disturbing footnote in a sad election season," Obama states. We can be the change. We ARE the change. Enough is enough. On November 8th, do not sit at home and just hope that someone changes the nation. Vote for the candidate that is the embodiment of what we want this country to be. Vote for the candidate that believes women should have control over what happens to their own bodies. Vote for the candidate that believes in equal rights for all human beings.
“On November 8th we can show our children that here in America, we reject hatred and fear, and in difficult times we don’t discard our highest ideals. No, we rise up and meet them.” When they go low, we most certainly go high.
You can watch the speech in full here.
