The White House Blog: The First Lady
Let's Move: Two Years of Healthy Changes for our Nation's Kids
Posted by on February 8, 2012 at 12:45 PM ESTLet’s Move! was launched on February 9, 2010, and in the past two years, significant progress has been made to solve the problem of childhood obesity. Parents, businesses, educators, elected officials, members of the military, chefs, physicians, athletes, childcare providers, community and faith leaders and kids themselves have made substantial commitments to improve the health of our nation’s children. Through working together with Let’s Move!, these groups have provided children with healthier food and greater opportunities for physical activity in schools and communities, helped get families the information they need to make healthier decisions, supported a healthy start in early childhood, and have worked to ensure more people have access to healthy, affordable food.
Tomorrow, First Lady Michelle Obama is starting a tour to celebrate the second anniversary of the initiative. On her trip she will meet with some of the many teachers, elected officials, faith and community leaders, parents and children who have embraced the principles of Let's Move! and are making a difference in the lives of our children.
Michelle Obama Talks About Being a Mentor
Posted by on February 2, 2012 at 10:00 AM ESTFebruary is Black History Month, and his year's theme, "Black Women in American Culture and History," honors African American women and the many roles they’ve played in the shaping of our nation.
And in an interview with More magazine, First Lady Michelle Obama talks candidly about one of the roles that matters most to her, one that has been a part of her life since she was in high school, one that can have a crucial influence in shaping the next generation of American women and one she urges others to embrace: Mentor.
Mrs. Obama discusses the impact mentors have had in her life, and also what being a mentor has meant to her (one of the first people she mentored as a lawyer in Chicago was a fellow graduate of Harvard Law School named Barack Obama: “I made sure that he met the partners that he was working with; I had to take him out to lunch a couple of times” she tells the magazine).
And for the first time, the First Lady discusses a program she launched shortly after moving into the White House, a mentoring program she designed “to open a secret door for others that hadn’t been opened for me,” by pairing disadvantaged girls with some of the powerful women in the land. She tells the magazine:
“I wanted [the students] to experience this notion that if you can walk [through] the doors of the White House once a month and sit down with the first lady and her chief of staff and some other senior officials, and they’re talking to you and you get used to hearing your voice in the space, then it becomes not a big deal.”
And so her program pairs teenage girls with “this wonderful array of women who come from different backgrounds,” she says. “They’re senior leaders in President Obama’s administration, and they all have a story, right? They all have a set of challenges and struggles.” Those stories, Obama believes, are best told in person, over time, creating the kind of enduring bond the social media generation sorely lacks. “Even though our children are connecting in ways we never imagined,” she told a national summit on mentoring not long ago, “you’ve got an entire generation of young people truly in desperate need of a friend. Someone they can trust, an example they can follow.”
Joining Forces for Caregivers
Posted by on January 30, 2012 at 1:40 PM ESTEarlier today, I had the great privilege of joining First Lady Michelle Obama and many of the nation’s leaders in announcing proposed changes to the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) that recognize the unique circumstances faced by the caregivers of our country’s wounded, ill and injured service members and veterans.
The Joining Forces announcement reflects a collaborative, public-private effort between the Departments of Defense, Labor and Veterans Affairs, along with private sector business and non-profit organizations. Joining the First Lady were Secretaries from the Departments of Labor, Defense and Veterans Affairs; Secretaries of the Army, Navy and Air Force, as well as the Joint Chiefs Chairman, and all of the members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
The proposal announced today by Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis continues this Administration’s commitment to our wounded warriors and their caregivers. The new language would extend the entitlement of military caregiver leave to qualifying family members of veterans who are dealing with a serious injury or illness for up to five years after leaving the military. At this time, the law only covers family members of “currently serving” service members. Additionally, the proposal expands the military family leave provisions of the FMLA by extending qualifying leave to employees whose family members serve in the regular armed forces. Currently, the law only covers families of National Guard members and reservists. These changes will ensure that our military families have peace of mind knowing that they won’t have to choose between keeping their jobs and caring for their loved ones.
First Lady Michelle Obama Strikes a Pose for Instagram
Posted by on January 27, 2012 at 12:12 PM ESTA bit of photo fun was inevitable when the First Lady met Mike Krieger, co-founder of the photo sharing site Instagram, in the Blue Room of the White House earlier this week. Mike was one of the extraordinary Americans who exemplify the themes and ideals laid out in the 2012 State of the Union Address that were invited to join Mrs. Obama in her viewing box on Tuesday.
Check out a video of their Instagram shoot and see the results:
Video: Meet Some of the People Who Joined Michelle Obama for the State of the Union
Posted by on January 26, 2012 at 4:40 PM ESTBack in December, thousands of Americans shared their stories about the impact that losing $40 per paycheck would have on them, and on their families, if Congress did not pass the payroll tax cut.
Responses poured in from across the country, and these stories made a difference: Congress passed and President Obama signed a two-month extension of the payroll tax cut for middle class families before it expired at the end of 2011.
Amber Morris from Virginia Beach, Virginia was one of the people who wrote in to say what losing $40 per paycheck would mean to her, and on Tuesday night she joined First Lady Michelle Obama for the President’s State of the Union Address. Amber was selected to represent the tens of thousands of Americans who made their voices heard during the debate.
Interactive Feature: Who's in the First Lady’s Box, State of the Union Address 2012?
Posted by on January 24, 2012 at 6:20 PM ESTFor nearly three decades, extraordinary Americans who exemplify the themes and ideals laid out in the State of the Union Address have been invited to join the First Lady in her viewing box. From teachers to small business owners and innovators, to health care reform beneficiaries and those serving in our armed forces – use the interactive feature below to learn more about the remarkable individuals who will join First Lady Michelle Obama tonight for the 2012 State of the Union Address.
Check out WhiteHouse.gov/sotu for an enhanced viewing experience of President Obama's State of the Union address and for opportunities to engage online with White House officials and even President Obama himself.
Read the full press release here.
Learn more about the 2012 State of the Union:
- Watch the enhanced version of the 2012 State of the Union Address
- Read President Obama’s Blueprint for an America Built to Last
- Take a deep dive into the data behind the President’s plan
- Video: Go behind the scenes as the President prepared his speech
- Find out how you can talk to Obama Administration officials about the President’s plan
- Photo Gallery: Scenes from the State of the Union
America's First Tourists
Posted by on January 19, 2012 at 11:49 AM EST
The President and First Lady Welcome the St. Louis Cardinals to the White House
Posted by on January 17, 2012 at 9:26 PM ESTToday, the President and First Lady hosted the St. Louis Cardinals at the White House to congratulate the team on its World Series win last year.
The Cardinals, who President Obama called “the greatest comeback team in the history of baseball,” made the playoffs after rallying from a ten and a half game deficit with just 31 games left in the regular season. At one point, the team had less than a 4 percent chance of even making the playoffs.
The Series itself was an unforgettable one, the President said:
Of course, the most memorable moment was Game Six of the World Series. I’ve got to say, that has to be one of the best baseball games of all time. Unbelievable game. I will tell you guys, I had a bunch of early-morning stuff the next day, and you kept me up. It was painful waking up the next morning. But what an incredible game.
Watch: First Lady Michelle Obama Previews her "iCarly" Special
Posted by on January 16, 2012 at 4:49 PM ESTFirst Lady Michelle Obama was at the Hayfield Secondary School in Alexandria, Virginia on Friday to preview her special appearance on the hit TV show "iCarly". The White House joined forces with the Nickelodeon team to teach kids how important friendship and support are to military kids whose parents are deployed for long periods. The show's lead character, Carly Shay (played by Miranda Cosgrove), is the daughter of an Air Force Colonel currently serving overseas in the military, and two of the cast members grew up in military families.
The debut of "iMeet the First Lady" on Monday January 16 was preceded by a special dedication from the iCarly cast and Mrs. Obama to military families. Immediately following the premiere, Nickelodeon debuted a PSA that features ways kids can show their thanks and support. For more information, visit www.thebighelp.com.
First Lady Michelle Obama Celebrates Maya Angelo at BET Honors
Posted by on January 16, 2012 at 4:30 PM ESTMichelle Obama was at the BET Honors Saturday night in Washington D.C. to present the Literary Arts award to Maya Angelou, who the First Lady said was one of her "she-roes." Angelou, who received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Obama in 2010, is as well known for her work as a civil rights activist as she is an artist, whose prolific body of work includes writing poetry, memoirs, novels and plays. She has also been a producer, actress, historian and filmmaker.
Mrs Obama, who told the audience at the historic Warner Theatre that she had been "spellbound" when reading her stories, asked the crowd to honor Angelou's contributions by following her example:
Maya Angelou teaches us that it’s not enough merely to seek greatness for ourselves. We must help others discover the greatness within themselves. We need to reach down…and reach out…and give back…and lift up others the way Maya has lifted us.
That is how we can most truly honor our friend Maya Angelou – by how we live our lives…by striving every day to embody the wisdom, and generosity, and radiant love with which she has graced our world.
Related: Read the poem Maya Angelou wrote for the dedication of the Martin Luther King Memorial
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