Representation matters.
This a point that former First Lady Michelle Obama mentioned during the unveiling of her and President Obama’s official portraits last month at the National Portrait Gallery.
“I’m also thinking about all of the young people, particularly girls and girls of color, who, in years ahead, will come to this place and they will look up and they will see an image of someone who looks like them hanging on the wall of this great American institution,” she said about the painting done by Amy Sherald.
She added, “I know the kind of impact that will have on their lives because I was one of those girls and, when I think about those future generations and generations past, I think, again, wow. Wow, what an incredible journey we are on together in this country. We have come so far.”
Why mention this? Because picture of a young Black girl staring at Obama’s portrait brings that all to light…and it’s breaking the Internet.
Just look at her face! She can’t help but be in awe of everything she is seeing.
Ben Hines, the man who captured this moment on Thursday, told BuzzFeed News that 2-year-old Parker Curry’s mother was trying to get her to turn and smile, but the little girl was mesmerized with the image.
“It was so touching and uplifting for me to see this beautiful child looking at a beautiful portrait of a powerful woman,” Hines said. “I was so delighted to have been in the right place at the right time.”
Parker’s mother Jessica, who took her 1-year-old daughter and Parker to see the portraits, added that she is so happy that her daughter has strong women to look up to.
“In the world we live in today, I’m just trying to raise a little girl who has opportunities to see women who look like her doing great things,” Jessica said.
“As a little person looking at a portrait that large, I can imagine it’s fascinating. She had a little moment.”
A little moment that went viral and the touched the hearts of America. Just beautiful.
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This Photo Of Little Girl Seeing Michelle Obama’s Portrait Goes Viral was originally published on hellobeautiful.com