Essence editor-in-chief Angela Burt-Murray said it took a year for the magazine to gain access to the Obama's Illinois home for an intimate interview with the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, his wife, Michelle, and their daughters, Sasha and Malia.

Burt-Murray talked Thursday with CNN "American Morning" anchor Kiran Chetry about the interview and the Obama family.

Chetry: You are the first African-American media outlet to get this inside look. Did your team get a chance to see the real Obamas?

Burt-Murray: I think we did. We went to their home on the South Side of Chicago and it was wonderful to see them as a family interacting with each other, and see the girls skipping around the house, just acting like it's a normal, everyday occurrence to have a camera crew in their home and Secret Service at different points throughout the house and around the yard. But it didn't really seem to impact the girls in any way. Watch what Essence found inside the Obamas' home »

Chetry: Much was made of an earlier televised interview they with their daughters and they said, looking back, they probably shouldn't have done that. There is so much interest about their family, and yet they want to protect their girls. How do they balance that?

Burt-Murray: They try to take a look at who is around the family and make sure they try to keep things as structured as possible.

But also, you have instances where magazines like Essence show up to take photographs, but the girls are very relaxed because they're in their home environment. And I think that's the difference between our photo shoot and what you saw on television. Taking the girls outside of their home and putting them in the spotlight is probably a bit more challenging for them as parents.

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Essence editor: Obamas a model for kids, community
Thursday, 07 August 2008
(CNN) -- The September issue of Essence magazine features an interview with Sen. Barack Obama and his family inside their Chicago home. Essence...

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Last update: Thursday Aug, 07 2008 1:49:51 pm MST