While it’s hard to tell what her husband’s legacy will be, First Lady Michelle Obama will probably be remembered overwhelmingly as a loved and respected presidential spouse. But until this week, she wasn’t known for her particularly active role in government. The Associated Press reports that Michelle plans to change that, shifting her policy platform from emphasizing that kids eat right and stay fit to making sure they don’t die because of gun violence.
Obama’s Let’s Move campaign has been well-publicized, though it’s any one’s guess if her emphasis on teaching kids to eat healthier and work out more has really changed America in four years. She’s done high-profile things, like adding a larger vegetable garden to the White House grounds and grabbing big names like Beyoncé to create viral videos in hopes that kids will get excited about the prospect of physical fitness.
But health doesn’t have the same sexiness as the many, many kids dying in poor communities around the country because of gun violence, most notably in the Obamas hometown of Chicago. And despite the probable eventual backlash from conservatives who think a FLOTUS’s position should be in her wing of the White House, Michelle’s move to expand her reach is totally unsurprising and a clear sign of her and Barack’s priorities going forward as the Obama presidency’s second terms rolls on. According to the AP:
Aides say the first lady isn’t making gun violence a new and distinct issue, but is folding it into her work encouraging youth to focus on getting an education.
By reaching beyond the pair of relatively safe issues she has pushed — reducing childhood obesity and rallying public support for military families — the Harvard-trained lawyer who some say has played it safe is showing a willingness to step outside of her comfort zone.
They note that a big indicator of Michelle’s move towards emphasizing gun violence was foreshadowed in her many mentions in speeches of meeting students at Harper High School on Chicago’s South Side. It’s Harper High that can be given the credit for shifting the administration’s priorities about gun violence. While much of the national debate on gun violence has focused on tragedies like Sandy Hook or Aurora, it’s unquestionable that the Obamas recognize that the bigger gun violence issues run rampant in poor communities, not at the hands of a few mentally unstable individuals.