As most Black families in the United States know, growing up as a Black person is seen as a great threat in and of itself.

In a country where the rate of fatal police shootings among Black Americans is higher than that for any other ethnicity, it’s no wonder that this is true. Or, why learning to handle the police while Black is a lesson taught so prominently beneath the roofs of Black households.

In a recent episode of her podcast, Michelle Obama revealed that she and her brother Craig Robinson learned this lesson years ago in a confrontation with the police.

Speaking with her brother in her podcast, Obama recalled the day Robinson was accused of stealing his own bike.

Speaking with her brother, a former basketball coach, and her mother Marian Robinson about childhood and parenting, Obama brought up a moment in which Craig was stopped by a couple of police officers while riding his bike.

At the time, Robinson was about 10 or 11 years old and had been gifted the yellow ten-speed Goldblatt by his parents. While riding the bike, a police officer grabbed hold of it and refused to let go despite Craig’s pleas and protests that the bike was his.

“I was like ‘Oh, you got this all wrong, this is my bike. Don’t worry, this isn’t a stolen bike,’ and [the cop] would not believe me, and I was absolutely heartbroken. And I finally said to him, ‘Listen, you can take me to my house, and I will prove to you, this is my bike,” Robinson recalled.

Fortunately, Obama’s mother was home at the time and ushered Craig inside of the house, while she dealt with the police. As her son recalls, “she had that tight lip” as she confronted the officers who had accused her son of stealing his own bike.

Robinson revealed that she discovered the officers were friends with the people who had made the complaint about Craig stealing the bicycle and demanded they come to her house so that they could “admit [they] made a serious mistake.”

Robinson described the experience as a “heartbreaking” one at various times throughout the interview.

“I could tell [the cops] were trying to ask me questions that would trip me up,” he recalled. “If I wasn’t so sure that that bike was mine and showed any kind of reticence, I could see them taking me off to the police station, not calling mom until after I’ve been, you know, booked or whatever they do.”

At one point, Obama remarked that the story is particularly familiar with ones being experienced across the country, even today. “Nobody thinks about, you know, the fact that we all come from good families that are trying to teach values, but when you leave the safety of your home and go out into the street, where being Black is, is a crime in and of itself, we have all had to learn how to operate outside of our homes with a level of caution, and fear, because you never know,” she recalled

Obama’s mother also described the experience as being “part of a culture” among police.

“Because those two policemen were Black. And they were acting exactly the same as any other policeman,” her mother remarked. “It’s almost like, this is what they thought they were, how they were thought they were supposed to act.”

All three family members noted how the incident is so familiar today. Despite the fact that decades have passed. “That’s the perfect example of what all of these young, Black people are dealing with now, because this was, almost fifty years ago?” Craig Robinson said.

Listen to the clip from the podcast here.

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There’s no denying that Michelle Obama wowed viewers when she appeared at the Democratic National Convention earlier this week. The former First Lady delivered a pointed and compelling speech about the future of our country and the importance of voting and did so while donning perhaps one of the chicest outfits of the decade paired with hoop earrings and a sweet necklace that spelled out the word “VOTE.”

While there’s a lot to take away from Obama’s message, particularly because our lives literally depend on it, fans haven’t been able to keep their eyes off of Obama’s “vote” necklace.

Obama’s necklace was designed by Chari Cuthbert for her line BYCHARI as part of her boutique jewelry line which is based in Los Angeles.

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You all know me by now. You know that I tell you exactly what I’m feeling, and that I’m no fan of politics. But you also know how much I love this country and how much I care about all our children. And right now, I’m deeply troubled by what our kids are witnessing—a nation that’s underperforming not just on matters of policy, but on matters of character. In our hearts, we know that so much of what’s happening is just not right. It’s not who we want to be. And if we want any chance to end the chaos, the division, and the nastiness; if we want to keep alive the possibility of progress on the issues we hold dear, we’ve got to elect @JoeBiden and @KamalaHarris like our lives depend on it. Joe Biden is a profoundly decent man, guided by his faith. He knows what it takes to rescue an economy, beat back a pandemic, and lead a country. Kamala Harris is a dedicated public servant who has committed her life to fighting for those who can use a hand up. Together, they will listen. They will tell the truth and trust science. And they will make smart plans and manage a good team. Because Joe Biden has served this nation without ever losing sight of who he is, but even more than that, he’s never lost sight of who we are—all of us. And he will channel that same grit and compassion to pick us up, help us heal, and guide us forward. To everyone who has given so much this summer to awaken our consciences and shout out for justice—I could not be more proud of you. Keep it up. Because progress isn’t an either/or proposition. If we want to move forward, we’ve got to march. We’ve got to kneel. We’ve got to protest. And we’ve got to vote—and make sure everyone we know does, too. So vote early, in-person if you can. Request your mail-in ballots right now—tonight—and send them back immediately, and follow up to make sure they were received. And when Election Day comes, get prepared to wait in line overnight if you have to. Because if we want to be able to look our children in the eye after this election, if we want to realize the progress that we seek, we’ve got to do everything we can to elect Joe Biden as the next President of the United States.

A post shared by Michelle Obama (@michelleobama) on Aug 17, 2020 at 8:21pm PDT

The Black designer has produced and designed custom pieces since 2012 and sold her designs via her website, word of mouth, social media, and a few influencers. According to Cuthbert, her business was already doing well pretty recently but sales for her designs skyrocketed this week thanks to a visual endorsement from Obama at the Democratic Convention. Cuthbert told CNN that 12 hours after Obama’s address on Monday night, almost 2,000 orders for her VOTE necklace came rolling in.

The necklace sells for $295.

“I was at my office, and I just sat there as my phone was going crazy, and I started to cry,” Cuthbert told CNN.

Obama’s stylist has said that the vote necklace inspired the writer’s entire look for the evening.

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Michelle Obama is one of the most impactful women on the planet—not to mention a style icon! To say we’re inspired by her dedication to helping others and lifting up women and minorities would be an understatement. We are so honored that she chose to wear our VOTE necklace at the 2020 Democratic National Convention. Thank you to @michelleobama her stylist incredible stylist @meredithkoop for this once in a lifetime opportunity! We hope that everyone lets their voice be heard this November by voting. #vote #michelleobama #dnc #votenecklace

A post shared by BYCHARI (@bychari) on Aug 18, 2020 at 7:16pm PDT

Meredith Koop who has worked as a stylist for Obama for the last decade told CNN, “I built all of the outfit options I offered to Obama around the necklace. When I commissioned it, I knew it had to be the centerpiece When the speech started, you had to squint a little to read it. I love that. It pulled the viewer in.”

The VOTE necklace was crafted for Obama earlier this summer in July when Koop messaged Cuthbert on Instagram. The designer and stylist had never met or worked with Koop but found herself impressed by Cuthbert’s designs on social platforms like Instagram. Of course, this isn’t the first time Cuthbert has created the VOTE necklace. In 2016, she made a small supply of the necklaces for herself and friends. In 2018 she promoted the necklaces once again to raise awareness about the primaries.

“I try to keep politics and business separate,” Cuthbert told CNN, “But in these times, with what’s happening in the world, I felt like I needed to use my platform. So when Meredith reached out we knew how important it was to do this, and do it now.”

Cuthbert is a Black business owner who has been waiting for a break for her small business for some time.

Like millions of small business owners and entrepreneurs, she’s worked hard to pursue her dreams.

“I reached out to friends in the jewelry industry last night and this morning and have just said, ‘Um, I’m going to need some help,’ in the best possible sense,” Cuthbert explains. “This is it. This is the dream come true.”

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