Michelle Obama interacts with area women

By: Kurt Kloeblen, Staff writer

Edmee Rodriguez/Sun Photo MICHELLE OBAMA spoke at a campaign stop Thursday at UMKC.

Sitting in cozy chairs with five other women on stage, Michelle Obama listened to stories of struggling families and tried to tell how her husband, Barack Obama, can help as president.

Michelle sat inside Pierson Auditorium on the University of Missouri-Kansas City campus July 10. Her campaign stop aimed at discussing women’s issues and how she believes Barack has the policies to help change some of those key issues.

The women shared stories of struggling to make ends meet while caring for a family and raising children. Common themes included concern about rising gas prices, affording health care and finding somebody to help them right the ship to fix the key problems in the United States.

Sheila Johnson, Kansas City, is a mother and young grandmother who said she identifies with Barack Obama because she had her first child at about the same age Barack’s mother had him. As a single mother, Johnson has raised two children and went back to college to earn an MBA from Rockhurst University in 2006.

“It’s always good to share your story,” she said. “As Americans we feed off each other. That’s how I know I connect. You hear someone else’s story, then I can see that she’s gone through the struggle and I can see she’s doing fine. That’s how we make it.”

Johnson said she has had to cut back on her spending and weekly trips to dine out have been cut back to once a month.

Johnson said she believes the Obamas understand regular people and their plights.

“I always had the sense from Senator Obama and Mrs. Obama that they could live next door to me and it would be no big deal – and she solidified that,” Johnson said. “For me, it’s important that my leaders can relate to me, so that they’re not up here where they have no idea what’s going on.”

In her opening remarks, Michelle talked about her role as mother and how Barack’s experience growing up with a single mother and single grandmother.

“Barack understands the struggle of women,” Michelle said. “Barack carries our stories as women.”

Michelle also talked about more benefits for employees. She said her husband will call for a minimum of seven days of leave time for all employees. She said women still earn about 77 cents for each $1 a man earns, and Barack’s policies will work to even that gap.

Michelle received her loudest ovation when she mentioned Barack’s ability to bring about change in Washington.

“Barack is determined to change Washington so that we don’t just talk a good game about family policies, but so we deliver policies that have real meaning,” she said.

Michelle Vitale, Independence, shared her story of having to move in with her mother to save money. A single mother of a 4-year-old, Vitale said she has been able to put her son into a day care only for short periods of time, causing him some developmental delays.

Vitale said Michelle impressed her.

“I was nervous,” Vitale said. “But it was a very good experience. She’s a real personable person. She’s concerned about other peoples concerns.”

Vitale said she can relate to the Obamas because they are raising younger children.

“It’s because of the background she came from and her husband came from,” Vitale said. “They still have younger children, so they still have the same struggles as a lot of people.”

Michelle said being a mother made her hesitant to give Barack a quick OK when he asked about running for president. She said, initially, she felt concern over how his pursuit of the White House would affect their children. But Michelle said her desire for change allowed her to set personal concerns aside.

“I had to take off my ‘me’ hat and put on my citizen hat,” she said. “I had to ask ‘What kind of world do I want my girls to grow up in?’”

Contact Kurt Kloeblen at (913) 385-6087 or kkloeblen@sunpublications.com.