When They Go Low, We Go High

When I saw the recent racist imagery shared involving the President Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama, what upset me the most wasn’t just the offensiveness of it, it was how this deeply rooted kind of dehumanization still exists. No matter how accomplished, educated, or influential someone is, racism attempts to reduce people to less than their full humanity. That is the real problem at the core of moments like this.

What I keep coming back to is how Michelle Obama has consistently chosen to respond to this kind of hate throughout her life in the public eye. She has never denied the pain of it. She has spoken openly about how words and images can wound, especially when they echo centuries of harm. And yet, she refuses to let bitterness or retaliation define her. Instead, she leads with dignity, clarity, and purpose. That choice, to me, is one of the most powerful forms of empowerment.

“When they go low, we go high” isn’t about silence or weakness. It’s about self-respect. It’s about understanding that reacting with cruelty only keeps us trapped in the same cycle. Michelle Obama’s approach reminds me that strength is not about matching someone else’s negativity, it’s about standing so firmly in your values that nothing can knock you off center.

As a woman, and as someone deeply committed to women’s empowerment, this resonates on a very personal level. Women, especially women of colour, are often expected to carry grace in moments when they are least protected. And yet, history shows us that real change happens when women choose empathy without surrendering their power, and courage without losing their compassion.

Our belief that we rise by lifting others feels especially relevant in moments like this. Lifting others doesn’t only mean celebrating wins or applauding success. It means standing up for someone’s humanity when it’s challenged. It means refusing to laugh along, stay silent, or look away when someone is diminished. It means choosing to be part of the solution, even when it’s uncomfortable.

I also think about how easily this mantra can live in our everyday lives. It’s in how we speak about people, and how we respond when someone makes an ignorant comment. It’s in how we show up at work, in our communities, and online. Going high is not a grand gesture, it’s a daily practice.

Racism isn’t dismantled overnight, and it isn’t solved by outrage alone. It’s addressed through consistent choices to lead with humanity, to uplift rather than tear down, and to hold ourselves to a higher standard even when others don’t. Michelle Obama embodies that truth, not because she ignores harm, but because she refuses to let harm define her.

That’s the reminder I’m holding onto: we don’t rise by pushing others down, and we don’t protect our dignity by abandoning our values. We rise, together, when we choose to lift, affirm, and go high, every single day.