This past weekend, Americans everywhere and other notable figures were mourning famous activist Jesse Jackson, but the internet noticed one person in particular, Michelle Obama, was missing from his service.
Over the weekend, political figures and others gathered in Chicago for the funeral service of the famous reverend and civil rights activist. Three big presidents, Barack Obama, Bill Clinton, and Joe Biden, were present, but after photos were released, people were surprised to see that Michelle Obama was missing. She faced a lot of backlash online, but fans defended her, especially after she previously mentioned not wanting to attend public funerals anymore. Read more about the situation below.
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Michelle Obama Is Absent From Jesse Jackson's Funeral
Jesse Jackson was one of America's most prominent leaders from the civil rights movement, who became involved in numerous aspects of social justice and made an impact on a lot of people through his ministry. Therefore, when he passed away towards the end of February, many people in the nation were devastated.
His funeral service was held in Chicago, Illinois, this past weekend, and it drew hundreds of notable figures, including former presidents Bill Clinton, Joe Biden, and Barack Obama, who all sat together. Each of the men made speeches about Jackson's influence on their lives, leadership, and on America as a whole.
Hillary Clinton sat beside Bill, Dr. Jill Biden was there with Joe, but many couldn't help but notice that Michelle Obama was not sitting next to her husband. This struck a lot of people, considering the former first lady was certainly an admirer of Jackson's and is from Chicago.
Fans Defend Michelle Obama Against Internet Critics
After photos of Barack at the highly publicized funeral were shared on social media, there were a lot of comments flying around, and many of them were about the absence of his wife. There were numerous internet users who began slamming the Becoming author for not attending the funeral, including a lot of Trump supporters.
"What happened to Michelle Obama?" asked a user on X. One responded and speculated, "She hates her husband."
However, those who have been keeping an eye on Michelle's career post-White House may remember that after she missed a few public events over the last two years, she acknowledged why she's been taking a step back from major appearances in previous interviews.
"One of the major decisions I made this year was to stay put and not attend funerals and inaugurations and all the things that I’m supposed to attend,” she told NPR. “That was a part of me using my ambition to say, ‘Let me define what I want to do, apart from what I’m supposed to do, what the world expects of me.’ And I have to own that. Those are my choices."
This led many fans of the Obamas to back up Michelle and her decision, defending her and telling others to "leave her alone" on social media platforms.
"Oh, leave Michelle alone!" wrote an X user. "If she does not want to go, let her be."
"No eyebrows were raised," commented another. "Mind your business and leave FLOTUS Obama alone!"
"Minding her business," wrote a Facebook user. "She doesn't have to be there."
