Michelle Obama said she and former President Barack Obama felt compelled to issue a statement after the conviction of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin.
In a sit-down interview with Gayle King on “CBS This Morning,” the former First Lady said, “The goal is to let leaders lead. But in certain times, people, you know, look to us often. ‘Well, what do you think? How do you feel?'”
The Obamas released a statement after Chauvin was convicted of killing George Floyd, saying the Minnesota jury “did the right thing” in convicting Chauvin, but noting that “true justice is about much more than a single verdict in a single trial.”
“We know that while we’re all breathing a sigh of relief over the verdict, there’s still work to be done. And so we, we can’t sort of say, ‘Great. That happened. Let’s move on,'” Mrs. Obama said. “I know that people in the Black community don’t feel that way because many of us still live in fear.”
In fact, Mrs. Obama revealed that “fear” makes her worry about her two daughters Sasha and Malia Obama.
“Every time they get in a car by themselves, I worry about what assumption is being made by somebody who doesn’t know everything about them. The fact that they are good students and polite girls. But maybe they’re playin’ their music a little loud. Maybe somebody sees the back of their head and makes an assumption,” she explained. “The innocent act of getting a license puts fear in our hearts.”
