Madame Noire | Black Women's Lifestyle Guide | Black Hair | Black Love

Photo: www.thenewsburner.com

Lack of diversity has always been an issue in the cutthroat arena of politics. Although the number of black women who hold positions in political offices is substantially lower than their white counterparts, the number has increased over the years, partially due to President Obama bringing some ‘color’ into the White House.

Condoleeza Rice was one of those women who broke barriers, becoming the first black female secretary of state. Before Condoleeza, Shirley Chisholm was widely known for breaking barriers, as she became the first black woman to be elected into Congress in 1963.

There may only be a small number of black women in politics, but these women have become key players in political decision making and reform. They have stood firm in their social beliefs on issues that directly affect the country.

Check out our list of women in politics that you should know.

Thehuffingtonpost.com

All of us grew up in different households but there’s likely no place quite as unique to be a mother than the White House. First Lady Michelle Obama talks about just that in the May issue of Ebony, which she graces the cover of in a stylish blue Tracy Reese dress befitting the magazine’s cover topic, “Celeb Moms + Hot Looks for Every Age.”

In the cover feature, Mrs. Obama talks about more mundane sides of raising children from Mother’s Day plans, like eating macaroni and cheese, to how seriously she takes the responsibility of being a parent, to relying on her own mother, who lives with the family, for guidance. Here’s a bit of what she said on raising Sasha and Malia:

“Barack and I feel that our greatest responsibility is to raise two productive, respectful, kind empathetic young women.

“My husband talks to our girls about how he expects men in their lives to treat them, and he offers examples by how he treats me and how he treats them.”

The FLOTUS also said she and Barack rely on her mother, Marian Robinson, to be there to pickup the girls from school, go to sporting events, or even handle birthday party duty when their schedules won’t allow them to. She also turns to her mother for moral support.

“Anytime I need to go and plop on her couch and just talk, she’s always there,” Michelle said.

Other celebrity mommies who will be featured in Ebony‘s May issue are Tina Knowles, Solange, and Juelz, along with former model Beverly Johnson’s family. The issue hits newsstands April 17.

Brande Victorian is a blogger and culture writer in New York City. Follower her on Twitter at @be_vic.

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Source: The Hollywood Gossip

We know Barack Obama is smooth on the campaign trail, but from the sounds of things the President’s swag was in full effect long before he set his sites on the oval office.

In a new campaign video, “Dinner With Barack and Michelle,” The President and First Lady share a meal with the winners of the 2012 President’s Dinner Contest held earlier this month and they open up about their personal and family lives. When President Obama talked about his first date with Michelle, who was his supervisor at a Chicago law firm at the time, he admitted to knowing just how to get her.

“I took her to the Art Museum at the Art Institute, I was trying to impress her, to show her I was a real culturally sensitive guy. And it worked!”

Not denying the effect President Obama’s date choice had on her, Michelle chimed in with confirmation at the same time, saying “It worked.”

In an effort to help clueless men everywhere, the President said:

“Just trying to give a tip for the young men out there.”

These men might just want to listen up too because the couple’s story about the sparks that flew during their first outing has not changed. In a 2009 interview with CNN, Michelle said when she first met Barack he was cuter than she thought he’d be, and it didn’t take long for her to become completely smitten. “Probably, by the end of that date, it was over. I was sold.”

In the short 6-minute video, the couple also talks about their parenting experiences—like the president failing miserably at doing Malia’s hair for a dance recital—and what motivates them to lead the country.

Check out this clip of dinner with Barack and Michelle here. Don’t you just love this couple?!

Brande Victorian is a blogger and culture writer in New York City.Follower her on Twitter at @be_vic.

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Source: zimbio.com

Last night was one of the biggest nights of the year for the little ones. Nickelodeon’s annual Kids’ Choice Awards took place last night in LA and our first lady/friend in our head was there with her daughter Sasha and Malia. Of course she looked fabulous! Rocking a pair of  leather pants and a Wes Gordon houndstooth sequined tunic, we’re sure if the first lady embarrassed her daughters that night it wasn’t because of her fashion choices. Werk!

But she wasn’t just there to enjoy the festivities, she was there to present the Big Help Award to 20 year old country singer, Taylor Swift. Over the years Swift has worked with children’s charities, helped combat bullying, and given over tens of thousands of books to schools and libraries all around the country.

Check out some photos from the night below.

Source: Photo by Kris Connor/Getty Images

As if Lady O weren’t busy enough on the “unofficial” campaign trail, hitting all of the late night talk show circuit, now she’s adding commencement speeches to her itinerary.  The first lady is scheduled to speak at three graduation ceremonies this year, including one HBCU.

She’ll speak at Virginia Tech University, Oregon State University and North Carolina A&T. The schools may seem unrelated but the decision to speak at each of these institutions was not made lightly. Both Virginia and North Carolina are crucial in the reelection of her husband, President Barack Obama.

And Michelle Obama’s brother, Craig Robinson, serves as the head coach for the school’s basketball team. Nothing wrong with showing a little love to the school that writes your brother’s checks.

Are any of you graduating from or attending graduations from one of these institutions?

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Wouldn’t it be nice to see FLOTUS with curly hair? That’s what someone thought when they Photoshopped curls on the First Lady.

However, while all the natural hair bloggers exploded with glee over this photo, it was debunked by natural hair guru Curly Nikki with this post

 The tweet that made me lose it–

Now, let it marinate.

Photoshopped?.. Yes, sadly, but I can stare at it all day long. Hell, I might even print it and pin it up somewhere.

Also, whoever is responsible for this… *raises hand* me next!

Aww Man, wouldn’t it be such a powerful statement in Michelle started rocking curly hair or a fro? America isn’t ready for that though.

How do you feel about this look on FLOTUS?

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Source: Beyonce Online

President Obama’s star-studded New York City fundraiser was definitely a girl power event—at least as far as the Knowles-Carter family goes. Last night, Beyonce, her mother Tina, her mother-in-law Gloria Carter, and her cousin Angie Beyince, stepped out together for an exclusive event at the Greenwich Hotel to make sure President Barack Obama gets reelected this year.

Tina Knowles co-hosted the fundraiser, which featured an appearance by First Lady, Michelle Obama, along with Whoopi Goldberg, Angela Bassett, and Star Jones. It’s easy to see why the room was full of stars. According to the Hollywood Reporter, tickets to the event were $5,000, which got you a photo with Mrs. Obama, and for $25,000, you could attend a private greet session with the First Lady.

I imagine Beyonce and her crew didn’t have to do all that since her husband Jay has “Obama on the text” and all, but I must say the ladies look lovely.

Brande Victorian is a blogger and culture writer in New York City. Follower her on Twitter at @be_vic.

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Our favorite First Lady of all time always inspires us with her style, whether she’s rocking designer gowns or J.Crew pieces. Last night, at the state dinner in honor of British Prime Minister David Cameron and his wife Samantha Cameron, Michelle-O rocked a dark teal Marchesa gown and an intricate pearl necklace by Tom Binns.

Samantha Cameron must’ve gotten the memo to wear blue as well. She rocked a vibrantly blue,  floor-length patterned dress by British designer Alessandra Rich.

Let’s get a glimpse of the back of the dress, shall we?:

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Black women have an extraordinary impact on the world, and Crystal McCrary is capturing all of those modern-day successes and triumphs in one book. Through written word and photo essays, Inspiration: Profiles of Black Women Changing Our World, tells the unique stories of 30 black women who are current game changers.

From entertainers to athletes, politicians, and business owners, this book covers black women from all social, cultural, and political walks of life, such as Betye Saar, Majora Carter, Thelma Golden, and Bethann Hardison. Well-known figures such as First Lady Michelle Obama, Ruby Dee, Patti Labelle, Shonda Rhimes, and Venus Williams are also featured.

Wesley Royce, assistant editor for ABRAMS, the publisher of the book, said throughout the book there were a few common threads woven throughout each woman’s story of success.

“These women put in an immense amount of hard work into developing their skills and they didn’t just believe in themselves— they believed in sharing their talents with the world,” he said.

Wesley also noted that no woman said they achieved their success on their own.

“They also all spoke about the importance of other strong women in their lives— whether it was their mothers or own children or friends— and the strength they drew from their support was crucial to their success.”

The book is currently available as a hardcover and for e-readers. For more information visit the ABRAMs blog. Will you check out this book?

Brande Victorian is a blogger and culture writer in New York City. Follower her on Twitter at @be_vic.

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Source: Mrs-O.com

Michelle Obama has repped J. Crew since before she entered the White House and her brand loyalty over the past several years has paid off big for the retailer.

J. Crew Creative Director Jenna Lyons says the first lady consistently wearing their designs is “the most incredible gift that keeps on giving”—especially since Mrs. Obama wears the label all on her own.

“She doesn’t call in any special favors. They don’t ask for any discounts. It’s pretty unbelievable,” Lyons told ABC. “She still continues to wear the product without any help from us … They go to our website and they purchase just like anybody else.”

After Mrs. O appeared on Jay Leno in 2008 and told the late night host she was wearing J. Crew from head to toe, stock in the company reportedly went up by more than 8 percent. Lyons says many women see owning an item of clothing that Michelle wears as a way to bond with the first lady of the United States.

“The fact that they had something they had, that they owned a sweater that Michelle wore. For a lot of people, it’s been an incredible point of connection, a way for them to connect to her through us,” she said.

That explains why Target killed with it’s new Jason Wu line this month.

Were you hip to J. Crew before the first lady? Have you found yourself checking out the brand more now that Michelle Obama has given it more visibility?