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Throughout this long, tense election, everyone has focused on the presidential candidates and how they’ll change America.

在这一漫长而又紧张的选举期间，每个让你都把注意力集中在总统候选人以及他们将怎样改变美国的问题上。

Rightly so, but selfishly, I’m more fascinated by Michelle Obama and what she might be able to do, not just for this country, but for me as an African-American woman.

这样并没有错。但是从个人的角度来看，我更着迷于米歇尔奥巴马以及她可能会做些什么---不但是为这个国家，更是为作为一个非裔美国人的我。

As the potential First Lady, she would have the world’s attention. And that means that for the first time people will have a chance to get up close and personal with the type of African-American woman they so rarely see.

可能成为第一夫人的她，将会受到全世界的关注。这意味着历史上第一次，人们有机会近距离并以个人的眼光去仔细观察他们甚少注视的非裔美国女性。

Usually, the lives of black women go largely unexamined.

通常，黑人妇女的生活大部分都是不受关注的。

The prevailing theory seems to be that we’re all hot-tempered single mothers who can’t keep a man.

流行的看法似乎是，我们都是性格暴躁的单身母亲，没有办法留住男人。

Even in the world of make-believe, black women still can’t escape the stereotype of being eye-rolling, oversexed females raised by our never-married, alcoholic (酗酒的) mothers.

甚至在想象的世界里，黑人妇女仍不能摆脱由从不结婚且酗酒的母亲抚养大的一群爱翻白眼，性欲过剩的女性这一陈词滥调。

These images have helped define the way all women are viewed, including Michelle Obama.

这些形象决定了黑人妇女被看待的方式，包括米歇尔-奥巴马。

Before she ever gets the chance to commit to a cause, charity or foundation as First Lady, her most urgent and perhaps most complicated duty may be simple to be herself.

在她还未获得机会，以第一夫人的身份投身于一项事业，慈善或者基金会之前，她最迫切，最错综复杂的责任可能仅仅是做好她自己。

It won’t be easy.

这并不简单。

Because few mainstream publications have done in-depth features on regular African-American women, little is known about who we are, what we think and what we face on a regular basis.

因为几乎没有主流媒体会对普通的非裔美国女性进行深入的专题报道，我们是什么人，我们怎么思考，以及我们日常面的事情这些问题知之甚少。

For better or worse, Michelle will represent us all.

无论怎样，米歇尔将会代表我们所有人。

Just as she will have her critics, she will also have millions of fans who usually have little interest in the First Lady.

就像有批评她的人一样，她也会有数百万通常对第一夫人一点儿都不敢兴趣的“粉丝”。

Many African-American blogs have written about what they’d like to see Michelle bring to the White House—mainly showing the world that a black woman can support her man and raise a strong black family.

很多非裔美国人的博客上写满了他们希望米歇尔给白宫带去的改变---主要是向世界展示一名黑人妇女可以支持她的丈夫，支撑一个强大的黑人家庭。

Michelle will have to work to please everyone—an impossible task.

米歇尔需要努力工作，让每个人满意-----一项不可能的任务

But for many African-American women like me, just a little of her poise (沉着), confidence and intelligence will go a long way in changing an image that’s been around for far too long.

但是对于很多像我一样的非裔美国女性而言，她的哪怕是一点儿沉着，自信和智慧都会改变一个存在已久的形象有长远影响。