The Obama family has announced the passing of Michelle Obama's mother, Marian Shields Robinson. In a statement, the family expressed that “there was and will be only one Marian Robinson. In our sadness, we are lifted up by the extraordinary gift of her life.”
Robinson looked after the Obama daughters during then-Senator Barack Obama's presidential campaign in 2008. She then moved into the White House in 2009 to continue caring for them. A lifelong Chicagoan and widow, Robinson was initially hesitant about starting a new life in Washington to help raise Sasha and Malia. However, with the support of Michelle's brother, Craig, she eventually embraced the idea.
“There were many good and valid reasons that Michelle raised with me, not the least of which was the opportunity to continue spending time with my granddaughters, Malia and Sasha, and to assist in giving them a sense of normalcy that is a priority for both of their parents, as has been from the time Barack began his political career,” She wrote in the foreword of “A Game of Character,” Craig's memoir reflecting on his time as the head men's basketball coach at Oregon State University.
Robinson, in her early seventies at the time, played a central role in her granddaughters' formative years. Malia and Sasha were 10 and 7 when their family moved into the White House.
In a public statement, former President Obama wrote that “after the White House, she returned to Chicago, reconnecting with longtime friends, trading wise-cracks, traveling, and enjoying a good glass of wine. She passed peacefully this morning, and right now, none of us are quite sure how exactly we'll move on without her.” Michelle said she was “heartbroken” and called Robinson “her rock.”
Fox 32 Chicago has more:
On Mother's Day, Michelle Obama announced a new “Opening the White House” exhibit at the Obama Presidential Center in Chicago would be named after her mother. On the center's website, Obama wrote at length about her relationship with her mother.
“Growing up with my mom always was an adventure,” Obama said. “It entailed trips to the library as a toddler to learn the alphabet; the entire family piling into our car to go to the local drive-in—homemade chicken in hand. It included Mom inviting family over for New Year's Eve, raising a toast as the clock struck midnight.”
“But above all else, my mother gave me nonstop, unconditional love in so many ways. She fostered in me a deep sense of confidence in who I was and who I could be by teaching me how to think for myself, how to use my own voice, and how to understand my own worth.
“I simply wouldn't be who I am today without her.”
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