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Michelle Obama Says Black Women Know What's at Stake in This Election

First Lady Michelle Obama says Black women realize much is at stake in the presidential election.

Go to any political event headed by a Black woman and she is certain to rattle off statistics about how African-American women are one of the most reliable voting blocs and have played a major role in helping President Obama win the White House in 2008.
At a roundtable discussion, First Lady Michelle Obama expressed confidence that they will demonstrate a similar level of support in 2012 because so much is at stake for them and their families, News One reports.
"There's definitely urgency in this election, but I think the urgency is different from 2008," she said. "In the first election, there was urgency, pride and being a part of history with electing the first Black president and having a Black family in the White House and having a first lady that women could identify with."
But now they're fighting for "hot button" issues like health care reform, she added, noting that incidences of certain diseases, such as breast cancer, are higher in African-American women and they are often diagnosed much later.

"We're stage 4 by the time we are diagnosed," she said.
The first lady also discussed the burdensome student debt many Black women face when they graduate from college.
"Many Black women are going through college all alone, coming out on the other end with so much debt," she said. "And you can't even think about buying a home even if you are a lawyer because you are trying to pay down $100,000 to $200,000 [in] loans."

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(Photo: Courtesy of NEWS ONE)

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