I remember thinking how much I wished my grandmother Cora was alive to see this day. Everyone I knew, both family and friends were texting across the states about the length of their line. Like me, no one seemed to mind. We all just wanted to hear, what we ultimately heard “Barack Obama, President of the United States of America.”

Those memories surfaced this week while attending a friend’s gathering. Two years ago we were all staunch Obama supporters. Now it appeared things had changed with their support either diminishing or being nonexistent. Many of their comments were hard to believe. Unable to sit there silently, I asked the question “what happened to the support we once shared?” The response, “Girl please!”

I am disappointed to hear one time Obama supporters wavering on whether or not they are going to vote in this mid-term election. Comments like, “nothing is changing, so what is the benefit, as a matter of fact, it appears things have gotten worst,” is disheartening. When I think of the conditions of the prior administration, how could I expect 2 years to be enough time?

There are so many opinions circulating in the communities, as well as, the air waves. It is emotional for me because I have been blessed to live through many conditions in this country; good and bad. Even though a young child, watching a black and white television, I remember. When I think that the right to vote has not always been available to me, I cannot stay home. When I think about the struggle of my ancestors to pave a better day, I cannot stay home.

It is in the memory of my grandmother Cora, a seamstress in the White House, forced to enter from the back door, that I will once again cast my vote.

By Tanya Wilson

360You

Read more columns by Tanya Wilson, an inspirational speaker based in Charlotte. Find her on Facebook.

HelloBeautiful Goes To The White House

Voting: My Proudest Moment

Featured speakers included Michael Blake, Michael Strautmanis, Kevin Lewis, Russlyn Ali and Valerie Jarrett, with a special guest appearance by the President himself which included him shaking my hand!! And yes, it’s a moment I will NEVER forget!!!

For those that know me, I’ve been President Obama’s biggest fan from the moment I heard him speak at the 2004 Democratic National Convention.  I came to this country when I was 9 years old and was content with being a permanent resident until that speech.  When I found out that Mr. Obama was going to run for President, I knew I had to change my status..I wanted to be able to vote, I became a US citizen.

One of the most important conclusion to come out of this summit was not only about the White House opening to doors to African American media (blogs, websites) but the chance to meet our colleagues and our commitment to working together.

Take a look at our group photo below and my pic of the President when he entered the room:

Voting: My Proudest Moment

First Lady’s Obesity Campaign Hits Close To Home

Sasha Obama is 9 years old today and she’s celebrating with her classmates today on their last day of school.

Sasha’s parents traveled to Sidwell Friends School in Bethesda, Md., for a morning event with Sasha. About 10 hours later — after several White House meetings and a trip to the State Department — the president joined Mrs. Obama and her mother, Marian Robinson, at the Sidwell school Malia attends in northwest Washington.

Source

First Lady’s Obesity Campaign Hits Close To Home

Michelle O: “What You See Is The Real Me”

Source

PHOTOS: First Look At Beyonce’s “Deréon” Bedding Line

PHOTO: Beyonce Loses Her Dress For Charity

The First Lady Michelle Obama debuted a new look for last night’s White House state dinner.  Michelle wore a one-shoulder shimmery-blue gown by designer Peter Soronen and wore her hair in a curly up-do.

Take a look and tell us what you think:

Fab Or Fug: First Lady’s Floral Frock

GALLERY: Michelle O. Wows At “Cinco De Mayo” Celebration

The Obama family welcomed thousands of children to the sun-soaked South Lawn of the White House Monday for the annual Easter Egg Roll, an essential rite of spring.Take a look at the pics below:

GALLERY: Michelle Obama plays soccer

First Lady’s obesity campaign hits close to home

Hip-hop’s first couple, Jay-Z and Beyoncé, finally made it to the White House … only for a visit that is.

Jay and B visited the nation’s First Family at the White house on Wednesday (March 3) while in town during a stop on the “BP3″ tour, where he performed at the city’s Verizon Center.

A White House official said the rapper — alongside his wife/singer Beyonce, her mother Tina Knowles, singer Trey Songz, and industry veteran Kevin Liles — toured the residence.

Then later, Jay actually had a quick, unscheduled visit with President Obama, said the Washington Post.

In an interview with Interview magazine last month, Jay reflected on his rise from the streets all the way to the White House, saying it “was crazy” that he could even meet with these powerful people.

“For me, being with [President] Obama or having dinner with Bill Clinton … It’s crazy. It’s mind-blowing, because where I come from is just another world. We were just ignored by politicians — by America in general.”

GALLERY: Beyonce’s New “House Of Dereon” Ads

Beyonce: “Ask Jay If He Wants To Have Kids!”

After the fallout from her role in Tareq and Michaele Salahi and Carlos Allen’s unauthorized entry into a state dinner amid reports that the White House did not have staff at security checkpoints. The White House turned down the House Homeland Security Committee when it requested she testify about her role in the incident.

“As we turn the corner on the first year, this is a good time for me to explore opportunities in the corporate world,” Rogers told Chicago Sun-Times columnist Lynn Sweet, adding that it was “an honor and a privilege to serve this president and first lady, in what has certainly been a historic presidency.”

According to the huffingpost.com, a source close to Rogers tells Huffington Post that another factor in her upcoming departure may be mounting tension with White House senior adviser Valerie Jarrett. “Desiree has had enough and will leave because she’s butting heads with Valerie,” says the source.

Desiree Rogers is in Vogue

Desiree Rogers covers WSJ magazine

Uh-oh! People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) has used first lady Michelle Obama’s image in a new ad campaign, dubbed “fur-free and fabulous” without the White House’s permission.

The first lady’s office says that they did not give PETA consent to use Michelle Obama’s image in their ad campaign, which this week popped up on buses and metro stations across Washington, D.C.

The ads feature Obama’s official White House portrait, as well as photos of Oprah Winfrey and Tyra Banks under the words “fur-free and fabulous.”

The first lady’s office has contacted PETA and informed them that they did not have their consent to use the first lady’s image in the campaign.

PETA will not be pulling the ads, though.

“We haven’t asked the White House to fund or promote the campaign, as they can’t do such things, but the fact is that Michelle Obama has issued a statement indicating that she doesn’t wear fur, and the world should know that in PETA’s eyes, that makes her pretty fabulous,” Ingrid Newkirk, PETA’s President said in a statement issued to ABC News.

White House deputy press secretary for the first lady, Semonti Stephens, says that indeed, “Mrs. Obama does not wear fur,” but that the issue is over permission of Mrs. Obama’s image.

First Lady Reveals Secret Ingredient On “Iron Chef America”

SURVEY: Folks Don’t Love Mrs. O. As Much As They Used To

The First Lady got in the Halloween spirit by dressing up as Catwoman in furry ears, a leopard print cardigan and dramatic eye make-up for the Obama’s first Halloween in the White House.

The Obamas discuss marriage

Take a look at the pics below:

First Lady is greeted with a kiss from Yankees Derek Jeter

The First Family was spotted walking back home to the White House after they left church yesterday morning:

President Obama receives Nobel Peace prize

The Obamas celebrate their 17th wedding anniversary

Take a look at the pics below:

Check out the video below:

Love in the White House

A new book is claiming that Barack and Michelle Obama were on the rocks before the historical election, and everyone’s up in arms about people “slandering” our President and First Lady. According to the NY Daily News,

In the new book “Renegade,” about Obama’s barrier-breaking run for the presidency, author Richard Wolffe recounts a stretch in 2000 when the Obama’s marriage was a lot frostier than it appears today.

“There was little conversation and even less romance,” Wolffe, who covered Obama’s campaign for Newsweek magazine, wrote of that period. “She was angry at his selfishness and careerism; he thought she was cold and ungrateful.”

At the time, Obama was a young state senator who had decided to run a Democratic primary against incumbent Rep. Bobby Rush (D-Chicago) – a contest Obama lost by a dismal 2-1 margin. Michelle was a new mom with two-year-old Malia at home and Sasha, born in June 2001, not far off.

“She hated the failed race for Congress in 2000, and their marriage was strained by the time their youngest daughter, Sasha, was born,” Wolffe wrote. “Politics seemed like a waste of time to Michelle.”

Here’s my question: Why should the media be expected to leave out stories like this, just because they involve our President and First Lady? One could take it to be a slanderous news item, but others could see it the way I see it – Barack and Michelle aren’t perfect. In fact, the trials and tribulations of their coupledom are just like the trials and tribulations of ours. Know why? Cause they’re effing human. And the fact that they had this alleged relationship rift 9 years ago and were able to get through it to become what they are today is more beautiful than the cookie cutter love the newspapers want to make their marriage out to be. If anything, it makes them more normal than they’ve ever been, and while it might be a tough sell to say that it means you and your man might eventually become a power couple like the Obamas, at least it gives you hope that your problems are shared by one of the most successful couples on the planet…and that you’ll get through them, eventually. Just like they did.

So I’m posting this “rumor” for all to see, and I want to know everything you readers have to say about it. Let me have it. Cause I ain’t budging.

Check out this gallery of Shelly and Barry looking all cute on Date Night. If they can do it, you can too! Amen.

White House social secretary Desiree Rogers is on the cover of the most recent WSJ Magazine, and she’s looking great! Wearing nothing but a black Viktor & Rolf trench in the cover shot, Rogers talks to WSJ (the Wall Street Journal‘s magazine) about her career as the head constructor of “Brand Obama.” We love her!

What do you think of the cover?

Today is 100 days since President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama have been in the White House. The First Lady brought style and grace back to the White House while keeping the masses in mind.  Known for her moderately priced outfits, Michelle Obama is probably the most watched First Lady since Jackie O.

HB pays tribute to the First Lady and her sense of style:

Read our exclusive interview with the fiercest working mom in America, Michelle Obama.

Michelle O: Our new Jackie O.

The First Lady Michelle Obama revealed a fun side of herself yesterday, she likes to sneak out of the White House with her staff to get a burger.

According to msnbc.com, the First Lady said:  ”Every now and then I have this thing that I like to do with some of my staff members, and we sneak out, without telling anybody, and we go and test out all the fun places to eat in D.C.,” Mrs. Obama told children visiting the White House.

She also said that the first dog “Bo” is a little crazy:

First Lady rakes in the dirt.

President Barack Obama and family welcomed First Dog Bo to the White House and showed him off around the grounds.

According to the New York Daily News,  The new First Pet took his bow, wowing a pack of media and leading his grinning new owners across the world’s most exclusive dog run.”I love him,” gushed 10-year-old Malia Obama, who gave the frisky, white-pawed Portuguese water dog pup a fierce hug after the pooch pulled her past photographers. “He’s perfect!”

First Lady gardens in the White House.

First Lady Michelle Obama did most of the walking, with Bo on a leash. But daughter Malia took a turn too, as Bo took off running.

Obama family host Easter Egg Roll.

The First Lady put on a pair of brown gloves and planted the first seeds in the White House Garden.
Twenty-five students from Washington’s Bancroft Elementary School helped the First Lady plant lettuce, herbs – including dill, oregano and rosemary – onions, shallots, cucumbers, peppers and peas.

Michelle Obama and mom covers Essence.

According to usmagazine.com the First Lady asked the students to guess the cost of the garden. After one guessed “over $100,000,” she said President Obama would “go crazy” if it cost that much.

Check out our gallery of the unveiling of Michelle Obama’s wax figure.

Wearing black leggings and  flat black boots, the First Lady turned soil with a shovel and pitchfork, saying plants will go in the ground – mint, lettuces, berries and perennial herbs – in the next several weeks, with the harvest to be used in both the White House kitchen and a nearby soup kitchen.

Click here to read about Michelle Obama’s Black History month event.

Michelle Obama was joined by 26 fifth graders from Bancroft Elementary School in Washington, D.C., as she took the first steps toward planting a “White House Kitchen Garden.”

The First Lady hopes the farming will get her daughters, Sasha, 7, and Malia, 10, more interested in eating vegetables.

Want to know more about Malia and Sasha? Click here.

White House-appointed comedians aren’t crass, and when it comes to roasting officials, they never go for the jugular. So what the hell are they doing hiring Wanda Sykes to make Barack Obama laugh?! Maybe she’s the comedic “change” needed to get everyone in D.C. to lighten up a little.

[From Politico]

If the pick of Wanda Sykes as this year’s entertainment at the annual White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner tells us anything, it’s that the days of Rich Little and Craig Ferguson are long gone.

Little is the PG-rated ’70s-and-’80s-era impersonator who headlined the WHCA’s 2007 dinner and whose performance was largely panned as having been outdated and unfunny. Ferguson, last year’s entertainer, got better reviews but also played it safe; he said at the time that “being funny is more important to me than being controversial.”

And then there’s Wanda Sykes, whose 2006 CD “Sick & Tired” contains well over 100 instances of R-rated language in just one hour of stand-up. Her routine covers abortion, pornography, sexual acts, prostitution, drug use and strip clubs – and that’s the sanitized-for-your-family-newspaper version of it.

So how’s this going to play when official Washington sits down for dinner at the Hilton Washington on May 9?

“She can be very colorful in her stand-up routines,” April Ryan, White House correspondent for American Urban Radio, says of Sykes. “She also can be very funny without profanity, as she does voice-overs for children’s shows. I hope she falls somewhere in the middle. Not blue but funny and tasteful.”

Adds another White House reporter: “Based on some of her previous gigs – and the vulgarity she uses – we can only hope that she will respect the office and the crowd by cleaning up her act and making sure that nobody’s offended by her performance.”

The Washington Examiner’s Julie Mason calls Sykes “salty” but says that could create a more lively dinner. “She does have a provocative act, but she seems to actually like Obama. In the past, it’s been awkward when the entertainment insulted the president – who is under no obligation to attend our annual fundraiser.”

Liberals will be glad to know that Sykes is firmly on their side of the aisle, having referred to then-President George W. Bush as an “a-hole” who would ruin everything the United States had ever done. She’s called for the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq, and she’s made fun of former Vice President Dick Cheney’s hunting accident.

So will Obama get off easy?

Not necessarily.

“I’m sick of politicians across the board, Republicans and Democrats,” Sykes says on “Sick & Tired.” “They’re all shady. I’m sick of them. To me, political office should be like jury duty. You should just get a notice in the mail one day and say, ‘Aw, sh-, I’m secretary of state next month. Ain’t this a b–?’”

To read the rest of this article, click here.

Will Wanda’s coming out prompt other celebrities to do the same?

Alicia Keys and her mother Teresa Augello were spotted on their way into the White House. They were there for a dinner with the Obamas in celebration of Woman’s History Month. Earlier in the day Alicia spoke to students at D.C.’s Dunbar High School as part of a series of events with notable women which was hosted by First Lady Michelle Obama. Also, not too long ago Miss Keys posed as Michelle Obama in a photo shoot for Glamour magazine as a part of a Women’s History Month spread.

We’re lovin’ Alicia’s fabulous purple shoes.

Click here to see President Obama on The Tonight Show last night!

Nuage said, “I want to perform this poem at the White House & all over the world Can BP help me make this happen?” Find out what the poem “Hello 44″ is in the news article titled Thank You BP!

These two can do no wrong in our book.  The President and First Lady hosted their weekly Wednesday dinner in the White House East Room, and President Obama brought his swagger to the room.

First Lady Michelle Obama also took time out to speak to women veteran’s this week, looking fabulous as always.

Click here to see the swing set the Obamas bought Malia and Sasha.

Click here to see Stevie Wonder being honored by the Obamas.

Daddy Obama suprised little Malia and Sasha with a brand new deluxe swing set. Now they can invite all their friends over for some swinging and sliding at the White House.

Click here to see the BEST OF MALIA AND SASHA photo gallery!

The White House daughters were thrilled with their gift:

“They ran right for it. They were really, really excited. All four of them,” McCormick Lelyveld said.

The girls played on the set for almost an hour in chilly weather, she said. Their mother went for a swing, too.

The Obamas paid for the swing set, which was made and installed by Rainbow Play Systems of Brookings, S.D. The company’s Web site says it’s the most trusted brand name in wooden swing sets.

Read more about Malia and Sasha’s new swing set on newsone.com!

Thinking about getting a swing set for your kids. Check out where the Obamas got theirs there!

While everyone was in Hollywood celebrating the Oscars, the President and First Lady were hosting a Governor’s Ball in the White House.

The Obama’s hosted their first black tie event at the White House last night and were serenaded by Earth, Wind & Fire in the process.

Check out the pics below:

New White House Social Secretary Desiree Rogers has a feature in Vogue! Check out part of the article below from Style.com.

In Chicago on a Saturday before the Inauguration, Barack Obama taped a Meet the Press interview in which he described his vision for social life in the White House during his presidency, likening the place John Adams built to a “bully pulpit” he will use to inspire Americans, especially young Americans, with a renaissance of culture, poetry readings, concerts, and science lectures. “Our art, our culture, our science,” Obama said, are “the essence of what makes America special, and we want to project that as much as possible in the White House.”

In Washington that same Saturday, Desirée Rogers, the woman who will be responsible for every social event and ceremony-from a tea for two to a peace-treaty signing for thousands-in the Obama White House, was visiting Letitia Baldrige prior to officially stepping into her new job as special assistant to the president and White House social secretary, a position Baldrige held during the Kennedy administration.

Baldrige, now in the midst of writing her memoirs, When the World Loves You Back, kindly offered Rogers some helpful tips, like always having a backup plan if the First Lady is unable to attend a function or, for state dinners, checking whether any of the guests have children and, if they do, arranging for a signed gift from the First Family to mark the occasion-something special, like a book, that they will remember for a lifetime.

“Desirée is so poised and so charming, so substantial and capable, but nonetheless I told her how important it is to always stand up to the West Wing,” Baldrige recounted later. “The West Wing is the men’s side, and they will want to push you to put all those politicians on the dinner lists, and you’ve got to be strong and say no. Always represent what the First Lady and the president want. In the case of the Obamas, it’s an exciting mix of people-not paybacks.”

Rogers’s appointment, in late November, did not come as a surprise to anyone in the Obama inner circle, including Valerie Jarrett, one of her best friends and a senior adviser to the new president. Days before the announcement, Rogers had hosted a small birthday party for Jarrett in Chicago attended by Barack and Michelle Obama, who rejoiced in being able to spend some downtime with a few of their closest pals, including Rogers, after the campaign’s long haul. “My party was perfect,” Jarrett told The Washington Post later, adding that Rogers “has extraordinary flair and exquisite taste.”

Rogers never really had any serious hesitation about accepting the job, but before telling the Obamas yes, she discussed the decision with Washington insiders, including the philanthropist Ann Jordan and Ann Stock, a social secretary in the Clinton White House, to make sure her view of the job was “in sync” with the Obamas’ vision. Knowing for sure that “it is,” she told me when we met on a day she was visiting Manhattan for the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater’s opening night at New York City Center, she hasn’t looked back. How could she? There isn’t time.

To read the rest of the article, click here.

President-elect Barack Obama’s daughters, Malia, 10 and Sasha, 7, checked out their new digs. Tagging along with their mother, Michelle, and grandmother, the future first kids toured the White House with Bush twins Jenna and Barbara. The girls were also in Washington to check out local schools.

Click here to see how HB would dress up the White House for the Obama family.

President-elect Barack Obama and Mrs. Michelle Obama received a warm welcome yesterday at the White House by President George Bush and First Lady Laura Bush.

To see more pics go here.

So wouldn’t it be great if, by adopting a dog in need, the rest of America would consider the option as well? And with the big changes that are bound to come with our new presidential-elect, why not try to mix things up -literally – with a mixed-breed pup and, since there’s two of the Obama girls… why not scoop a dog for each? The American Kennel Club is hoping the Obamas will choose a pair of 6-week-old toy poodles rescued by Flora’s Pet Project/Poodle Rescue in Connecticut. Also mentioned is that one of the Obamas’ daughters suffers from allergies, so the poodle “pupdentials” won’t be a problem because they don’t shed.

Past pups that presidents have chosen are Golden Retrievers, Laborders, Terrier and beagles.