"That comes through in the conviction she brings to her work on behalf of young people and rising leaders. "Michelle is a true global icon who has lived and worked in one of the most important buildings on the planet, but you get the sense that when she looks in the mirror, she still sees the little girl with big dreams that she used to be," said French Gates, co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and founder of Pivotal Ventures. And the reason Obama is such a powerful advocate for them is because she looks back at those girls and sees herself. We know that when girls go to school we are all better off: poverty goes down, economies grow, and babies are born healthier."įrench Gates said millions of girls around the world look at Obama and see the woman they want to be. That’s not just a tragedy for these girls, it’s a tragedy for all of us. "There are over 100 million bright, hardworking, and capable girls out there who aren’t in school – who aren’t being given a fair shot or opportunity to succeed. "Gender equality – and the plight of young women around the world – has always been an important issue area for me," Obama said in writing, responding to questions provided to her as a Women of the Year honoree. Their goals include ending child marriage and getting more girls into classrooms. Working through the Obama Foundation's Girls Opportunity Alliance, Obama has joined forces with philanthropist Melinda French Gates and human rights attorney Amal Clooney to help girls around the world move closer to global gender equality. And Obama has started recording "The Light Podcast." It allows her to share stories of family and lessons about inner confidence. She's written another book, "The Light We Carry: Overcoming in Uncertain Times," that speaks to such empowerment. Since leaving the White House, she's discovered a megaphone she couldn't always use under the watchful eye of political critics, and she's still living by the motto she first made famous, "When they go low, we go high." Of course, for eight years, we came to know her as the polished first lady to America’s first Black president, Barack Obama. Sure, she had supportive parents, good grades and a straight head on her shoulders.īut what was missing was a sense of belonging.
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