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It’s true, there are some women who will live forever

Julius Givens
3 min readJun 4, 2024

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Michelle Obama (left) and mom Marian Robinson photographed at the Obamas’ Chicago home on Nov. 2, 2018. PHOTO: MILLER MOBLEY

For those of us living today, we’ve had the incredible good fortune to witness one of America’s heroes — in action, as she executed her duties, to her family and for her country, until her dying day. And, when the historians have concluded their analysis of the 20th and 21st century, it will be clear that if there was no Marian Robinson; the whole of the world would have been a different place to have lived.

Mrs. Robinson, a product of the Southside of Chicago, did what in 1937 — the year she was born, many would have considered unimaginable: she brought into the world and raised the first Black First Lady of the United States of America. If you’ve read Michelle Obama’s memoir, Becoming — two things are abundantly clear. One, the home in which Mrs. Obama grew up was replete with hard work, discipline, playfulness, music, curiosity — but most important, was love. My favorite story from Becoming is when highschool aged Michelle Robinson (Obama), hid from her parents a school trip to Paris because she believed her family couldn’t afford the expense. When Marian Robinson and Fraser Robinson, Michelle’s father, found out about the trip through another parent, a displeased Marian asked, “why didn’t you tell us?” Understanding the opportunities that lay ahead for Michelle, Marian and Fraser ensured — through personal sacrifice that their daughter didn’t miss…

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Julius Givens
Julius Givens

Written by Julius Givens

A Chicago Police Officer committed to the three most important aspects of policing: Public Trust, Police Accountability, and Police Effectiveness.

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