This dad-daughter duo singing about Black joy is getting snaps from Michelle Obama
"I just love this," the former first lady wrote on Instagram.
A father-daughter duo singing about the joy of being Black is taking the Internet by storm, and earning praise from Michelle Obama.
The former first lady shared a video of Daniel Johnson singing with his 5-year-old daughter Dakota to her more than 40 million Instagram followers this week. Obama wrote alongside the video, "I just love this!," along with the hashtag #BlackJoy.
The video shows Johnson and Dakota singing a song that features the lyrics, "I love my Black so much, so much," and "We are strong and we are powerful."
Johnson told "Good Morning America" singing the song is a daily activity he and his daughter share.
"It's just something I do for her to build her confidence," said Johnson, who described the time with Dakota as "empowerment sessions." "When I posted it, I didn’t think it would impact the world."
Johnson is a full-time musician who typically works at local churches but has been home during the coronavirus pandemic, spending more time with Dakota, his 8-month-old daughter and his wife Titeanna, who is pregnant with the couple's third child.
He and Dakota have bonded over their shared love of music, which Johnson used to help his daughter, who was 4 when they filmed the now-viral video, work through a speech delay. Dakota now loves to not only talk but also sing, and wants to film a music video with her dad "every five minutes," according to Johnson.
Johnson said he had no idea Obama had shared his video on Instagram until someone called him to tell him, adding that he never thought "in a million years" that would happen.
"I believe Mrs. Obama was inspired by it because she’s a strong Black powerful woman," he said. "Even with where she is in her life, to see a 4-year-old girl singing such powerful words, I think that would inspire anybody."