Tthrough the powerful 18-minute virtual Democratic National Convention of Michelle Obama. One message was clear: VOTE, spelled not only by her evisceration of Donald Trump, but also by the letters of her necklace.
“Vote for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, as our lives depend on it,” Obama said as he wore a gold chain gau gie viral, and became a top U.S. search engine for Google in the last hour of the convention.
This piece was by ByChari, a small jewelry company in Los Angeles, owned by Chari Cuthbert, who is African American.
Obama’s decision to promote Cuthbert reflects a trend also seen in the recent cover of British Vogue, in which 40 activists wore clothing largely by BAME designers, for influential people and small business organizations in black ownership to promote, instead of failing the largely white run-conglomerates that dominate the fashion sector.
Obama is a master at using her clothing to create a visual message, and in promoting marginalized and under-the-radar businesses with her style choices.
Cuthbert, who launched ByChari in 2012 and recently spoke with Time magazine about the challenges of running her business during the pandemic, tweeted on Monday night that she was “above honored and humbled” that Obama wore her necklace.
BYCHARI
(@ByChari)I never imagined that something I could be so passionate about meant to so many! The reaction has been incredible and I am that respectful and damn @michelleobama carried my design. pic.twitter.com/rbkEZ7HUei
The necklace also echoes the photo of Bruce Davidson from the Selma March, in which the word “Voice” was written on the forehead of a civil rights protest.
Barack Obama spoke movingly about Selma in his eulogy of John Lewis in July, in which he praised the perseverance of the Democratic congressman and spoke out against the dangerous forces that continued to vote.
The former first lady elaborated Monday night on these topics, urging the public to request e-mails and make sure her friends and family did the same, and go out in person.
“We have to pack our comfortable shoes, wear our masks, pack a dinner with a brown bag, and maybe even breakfast, because we have to be ready all night to stand in line when we have to,” she said.
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