Barack & Michelle Obama Give Black Love a Push

Are the Obamas having an effect on Black love? See the pictures!

Dating Abuse - The publicity over the "Chrihanna" saga has helped give attention to a grim statistic: one in three young people experience dating abuse at some point in their teenage years.  The organization "Break the Cycle" says only a handful of states are protecting teens from dating violence.  States were evaluated and given failing grades if they didn't provide protective orders for minors or if the state in question didn't recognize dating relationships as a valid cause for obtaining protective orders.

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Love Gets a Bad Rap - Black love has gotten a bad rap in the past years. It has often been characterized by overly sexual music lyrics, obligatory portrayals of infidelity in movies like box office hit "Notorious," and most recently in the scandal involving just-legal pop stars Chris Brown and Rihanna.

Black Love - President Obama kicked off his first Valentine’s Day weekend in the White House making sure his boo had a specially ordered cake. “Ten days before Valentine’s Day the first husband placed his order for the Triple Chocolate Enrobed Brownie Cake from Bake Me a Wish,” PEOPLE reports. The $40 dessert is described as a "moist and fudgy brownie cake...enrobed in rich chocolate.”

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A Shining Example - But there is an example eclipsing the negative PR that much of the media have made synonymous with Black love over the years. We'd like to introduce a shining, modern symbol of all that this love can, and should be: the Black love of the most powerful man in the U.S. and arguably the world. Give it up for President Barack and First Lady Michelle Obama.

Lots of Love - Ever since the Obamas hit the campaign trail, people across the country have not only been witness to their public displays of affection, but to their constant care of their daughters Malia and Sasha. Photographs of the couple embracing throughout the election have gained iconic status, and have inspired couples to get together, get engaged, and even get married.

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Lots of Love - Ever since the Obamas hit the campaign trail, people across the country have not only been witness to their public displays of affection, but to their constant care of their daughters Malia and Sasha. Photographs of the couple embracing throughout the election have gained iconic status, and have inspired couples to get together, get engaged, and even get married.

Openly Affectionate - Not since Ronald and Nancy Reagan has there been such an openly affectionate presidential couple. Much of the country has become fascinated with the Obamas' love because it is a modern romance that people can project onto their own relationships.

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Openly Affectionate - Not since Ronald and Nancy Reagan has there been such an openly affectionate presidential couple. Much of the country has become fascinated with the Obamas' love because it is a modern romance that people can project onto their own relationships.

Inspired to Love - Could the Obamas be responsible for the resurgence of Black love? Recently engaged couple Bashir Hassan and Lindette Horton think so. The couple met back when they were just babies, so their love has been in the making since they were kids.

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Inspired to Love - Could the Obamas be responsible for the resurgence of Black love? Recently engaged couple Bashir Hassan and Lindette Horton think so. The couple met back when they were just babies, so their love has been in the making since they were kids.

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Black Love - The Obamas are more of a reflection of what we've always shared," Hassan, a Drexel University graduate, told BET.com. "What makes Black love so uniquely special is how rarely we see it."

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Black Love - The Obamas are more of a reflection of what we've always shared," Hassan, a Drexel University graduate, told BET.com. "What makes Black love so uniquely special is how rarely we see it."

The Black Family - As much as one can speculate, the numbers don't lie. A recent study done by the Census Bureau shows that the two-parent Black household is quickly on the rise, up 5 percent since 2004, when the rate was just 35 percent.

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The Black Family - As much as one can speculate, the numbers don't lie. A recent study done by the Census Bureau shows that the two-parent Black household is quickly on the rise, up 5 percent since 2004, when the rate was just 35 percent.

'The Cosby Show' - "I think Black couples and singles will have a renewed hope that the love many of us grew up seeing on the "Cosby Show" between Dr. Huxtable and Claire is not only real, but very possible." Hassan added.

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'The Cosby Show' - "I think Black couples and singles will have a renewed hope that the love many of us grew up seeing on the "Cosby Show" between Dr. Huxtable and Claire is not only real, but very possible." Hassan added.

Inspirational Love - As the Obamas continue to inspire trends from fashion to financial policies, let's hope this one won't be a flash in the pan. After all, we do have four or eight more years of Barack and Michelle's p.d.a. (public display of affection)  – and we don't mean his BlackBerry.

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Inspirational Love - As the Obamas continue to inspire trends from fashion to financial policies, let's hope this one won't be a flash in the pan. After all, we do have four or eight more years of Barack and Michelle's p.d.a. (public display of affection) – and we don't mean his BlackBerry.