By Haniyah P. | From a “crappy apartment on 53rd Street” to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, Barack and Michelle Obama remind us why their love story never gets old.
I don’t think Black communities in America will ever get tired of former President and First Lady Barack and Michelle Obama’s love story. And this week, the couple gave us the love that has sustained them through law school, two terms in the White House, the weight of grief, and everything in between, in an exclusive interview with People magazine.
“I knew almost immediately, and looks like I made a pretty good bet, that this was a one-of-a-kind woman with the integrity and character, smarts and values to make me better. Just being with her made me better, and she still does. And that she would [give] our kids a foundation that would pay off for them — and that’s in fact what’s happened,” the former President told People magazine, reflecting on their relationship. “I don’t know if it’s been an equal partnership, but it’s worked out for me pretty well. I’ve gotten more out of it than she has. For her it’s probably more of a mixed bag.”
While it took a little convincing for Michelle, then known as Michelle Robinson, to go on a date with Barack, today she says they are “each other’s counterbalance.” Paired as business associates during their time at the Sidley Austin law firm in Chicago, their initial mentee-mentor relationship led to their engagement in 1991 and marriage by 1992. And long before living at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. in Washington D.C., the Obamas built a life together in Chicago.
(Photographer: Matt Sayles @msayles/People Magazine)
“When we started dating, he was renting a crappy little apartment on 53rd Street from a friend. No AC. Windows were open. Saturday nights would be crazy. Baskin-Robbins was a place we’d go to get ice cream.,” Michelle shared, reflecting on the beginnings of their love story in Chicago.
From where they first met to the location of their first kiss in Hyde Park, which is now memorialized with the “Obama Kissing Rock,” the South Side of Chicago is a very special place in the Obamas journey, personally and professionally.
“[In Chicago] you have the house where Michelle grew up, our wedding reception was less than a mile from here, you can see the hospital where our daughters were born, our first home is a 10-minute walk. I announced my first campaign in politics at the Ramada Inn on Lake Shore Drive. So much of what is precious to me is because of this community, the people who embraced some funny kid from Hawaii,” Mr. Obama shared. “They gave me a home.”
However, the beauty of their love story lies in how they reflect light on each other. Regardless of the magnitude of the accomplishment, in an age where social media loves to debate “who is the prize?” in a relationship, the Obamas embody how much brighter one can shine individually when they have a partner who supports their dreams and aspirations.
“The truth is, I probably would have been someone who stayed more put,” The former first lady shared. “I think I would have had a beautiful life here [in Chicago], but it would have been smaller. But because of who my husband is, he offered all of us — our girls, my mom, my family — a broader sense of what’s possible in life. He made me think more broadly about what I could do with this Harvard law degree besides be a lawyer. He gave me the courage. He was my ballast. He was like, ‘I got you.’ And however hard it’s been, the ups and downs, he’s got me.”
“And she grounds and anchors me,” the former President concluded. “It’s worked out a’ight.”
See more of The Obamas’ PEOPLE cover story on The PEOPLE App. The issue is available on newsstands nationwide on Friday.
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Barack and Michelle Obama open up about the love story that built a legacy in new interview