photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
Michelle Obama, born Michelle LaVaughn Robinson, had a modest upbringing, growing up in Chicago’s working-class Southside. Her father was a pump operator for the city’s water department and her mother was a stay-at-home mom. Obama went through Chicago’s public school system, prioritizing her school work, and eventually attended Princeton’s undergraduate program before Harvard Law School. The early part of her career began at Sidley Austin, the sixth largest American law firm, becoming the only female black attorney. She later met former President Barack Obama there when she was assigned to be his mentor while he was still a law student. However, after spending three years at the firm and suffering the loss of her father, Michelle experienced a shift in values and desired more fulfilling work in which she could directly impact local communities. Even though she had substantial debts from her collegiate education, she prioritized community outreach, going on to be the executive director of the Chicago chapter of Public Allies—an AmeriCorps program that prepares youth for public service. She then became the associate Dean of Student Services at the University of Chicago, developing the university’s first community outreach program.
After initially meeting in the summer of 1989, Michelle resisted dating Barack Obama for fear of being scrutinized and appearing unprofessional as they were the only two black associates at Sidley Austin. But eventually, they began to date and were engaged by 1991.
Then in 2007, when Barack Obama—an Illinois senator at the time—announced that he was running for President, Michelle Obama was reluctant to get on board with the campaign. Her biggest hesitation was that she wanted to preserve the privacy of her two daughters, Sasha and Malia. Due to her hesitation, many critics viewed her as angry and unfit for the role of first lady. With the campaign underway, she compromised to campaign two days a week, spending quality time with her daughters on the weekend. When conservatives, including President Donald J. Trump, began questioning the legitimacy of Barack Obama’s citizenship, she dove into and became an ardent member of the campaign. Due to her change in attitude, her approval ratings shot up by ten points to 50 percent. Throughout the entirety of the Obama administration her approval ratings never dipped below 60 percent, whereas First Lady Melania Trump has a historically low approval rating of 47 percent. During her time as First Lady, Michelle Obama headed four main initiatives that complimented her passion for community outreach and working with youth. In 2009, she planted a special garden in the White House Kitchen’s garden on the South Lawn to promote a dialogue around healthy, organic eating. From this action grew her initiative Let’s Move, which worked to combat child obesity by engaging families with their child’s health. Obama advocated for providing healthier food in schools, giving families access to healthy, affordable food, and increasing physical activity for students during the school day. To support the health of parents and children alike, Obama worked to improve access to healthy food for all. Obama collaborated with large food corporations to open grocery stores in underserved areas. She is one of the few first ladies to get legislation passed, championing the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act which worked to update public school’s lunch nutritional standards and increased the number of students who could access lunch at little to no cost.
Dr. Jill Biden, wife of former Vice President Joe Biden, and Michelle Obama came to together to found Joining Forces, a program that offers support for service members, veterans, and their families by giving them access to health care, job opportunities, and education.
In 2014, Obama founded Reach Higher, a program aimed at inspiring students across the country to obtain an education beyond high school. The initiative ensures that students have the resources they need to complete their education by showing them college options, how to apply for financial aid, encouraging them to obtain summer leadership positions, and supporting college counselors to better serve their students.
In the final years of the Obama presidency, First Lady Michelle Obama joined in President Barack Obama’s effort to help girls around the world stay in school by partnering in the Let Girls Learn initiative. Obama become an advocate for young women globally with the dual purpose of raising awareness for the adversities that girls face to stay in school, and to urge young women in the U.S. not to take their education for granted.
Maintaining a relatable image was always at the forefront of Obama’s actions. She was often praised for her taste in fashion. Her wardrobe first came to the attention of the media when she appeared on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno in 2008. It had recently been revealed that Sarah Palin, the Republican Vice President candidate, had a budget of $150,000 for her wardrobe. Leno asked what designer’s clothes Obama was wearing, and she answered J.Crew. While J.Crew is still nice, it mainly sells modest, ready-to-wear clothes. Obama demonstrated that it’s not necessary to break the bank to appear powerful and presentable. Obama soon realized that her clothing was a catalyst to present her messages. By wearing a range of designers; from low to high end, and often supporting smaller, less well-known designers, she brought a new approach to fashion and power; she placed accessibility, and practicality at the forefront of her wardrobe. She gave women the right to claim their femininity and individuality while still displaying power.
In early January 2017, at the event to present the 2017 School Counselor of the Year award, Obama concluded her time in office with a moving speech. She shared the sentiment that: “I want our young people to know that they matter, that they belong. So don’t be afraid. You hear me, young people? Don’t be afraid. Be focused. Be determined. Be hopeful. Be empowered. Empower yourself with a good education. Then get out there and use that education to build a country worthy of your boundless promise. Lead by example with hope; never fear.” She closed by saying, “being your first lady has been the greatest honor of my life and I hope I’ve made you proud.”
When asked by CNN what the future looks like for her, she comments that she approached leaving as she did when she came in, “I won’t know until I get there. I’ve never been the former First Lady of the U.S. before. But I will always be engaged in some way in public service and public life.”
