Michelle Obama facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Michelle Obama
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Official portrait, 2013
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| First Lady of the United States | |
| In role January 20, 2009 – January 20, 2017 |
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| President | Barack Obama |
| Preceded by | Laura Bush |
| Succeeded by | Melania Trump |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Michelle LaVaughn Robinson
January 17, 1964 Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | |
| Children | |
| Parents | |
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| Education | |
| Signature |  |
Michelle LaVaughn Robinson Obama (born January 17, 1964) is a former First Lady of the United States. She is the wife of Barack Obama, who was the 44th president of the U.S.. Michelle Obama is also a lawyer and an author. She was the first African-American woman to become First Lady.
Michelle Obama became a role model for many women. She worked to raise awareness about poverty and supported education. She also promoted good nutrition, physical activity, and healthy eating. She was known for her fashion sense and supported American designers.
After her husband's time as president, Michelle Obama has remained very influential. In 2020, she was named the most admired woman in America for the third year in a row. In 2021, she was honored by being added to the National Women's Hall of Fame.
Contents
- Michelle Obama's Early Life
- Michelle Obama's Education
- Meeting Barack Obama
- Michelle Obama's Career
- First Lady of the United States (2009–2017)
- Michelle Obama's Recent Activities (2018–present)
- Michelle Obama's Family
- Famous Quotes by Michelle Obama
- Fun Facts About Michelle Obama
- Awards and Honors
- Images for kids
- See also
Michelle Obama's Early Life
Michelle LaVaughn Robinson was born in Chicago, Illinois, on January 17, 1964. Her childhood home was on the upper floor of a house in Chicago's South Shore area. Her parents rented this home from her great-aunt.
Michelle grew up in a "conventional" home. Her mother stayed home, and her father worked. They often ate dinner together as a family. She and her family enjoyed playing games like Monopoly and reading. They also visited extended family often. Michelle learned to play the piano from her great-aunt, who was a piano teacher.
Michelle's father had multiple sclerosis, a serious illness. This had a big impact on her as she grew up. She was determined to be a good student and stay out of trouble. This was what her father wanted for her. Michelle and her older brother, Craig, both skipped the second grade.
In sixth grade, Michelle joined a special class for gifted students. She later attended Whitney Young High School. This was Chicago's first magnet high school. It took her three hours each day to travel to and from school.
Michelle sometimes worried about how others saw her. But she used any negative feelings to push herself forward. She remembered facing gender discrimination when she was young. For example, people would often ask her older brother for his opinion instead of hers. Michelle was on the honor roll for all four years of high school. She took advanced classes and was part of the National Honor Society. She also served as student council treasurer. She graduated in 1981 as the second-highest ranked student in her class.
Michelle Obama's Education
Michelle Robinson was inspired to go to Princeton University, just like her brother. She started there in 1981. She studied sociology and also focused on African-American studies. She graduated with honors in 1985.
Michelle remembered that some of her high school teachers tried to tell her not to apply to Princeton. They warned her not to "set my sights too high." She felt her brother's good standing at Princeton might have helped her get in. But she was determined to prove her own abilities. She said she felt overwhelmed during her first year. This was because neither of her parents had gone to college. She had also never spent time on a college campus before.
Michelle said that being at Princeton made her more aware of her ethnicity. She felt "like a visitor on campus," even though her classmates and teachers were friendly. While at Princeton, Michelle joined a group called the Third World Center. This group supported minority students. She helped run their daycare center, which also tutored older children.
After Princeton, Michelle went to Harvard Law School. She earned her law degree in 1988.
Meeting Barack Obama
Michelle met Barack Obama at the law firm Sidley Austin LLP. They were two of the few African Americans working there. Michelle was asked to guide Barack when he was a summer intern. Their relationship began with a business lunch. Then they attended a community organization meeting where he really impressed her. Michelle and Barack got married on October 3, 1992.
Michelle Obama's Career
After law school, Michelle Obama worked at the law firm Sidley & Austin in Chicago. This is where she met Barack. At the firm, she worked on marketing and intellectual property law. She still has her law license, but she has kept it inactive since 1993. This means she doesn't use it for work anymore.
In 1991, she worked for the city government in Chicago. She was an Assistant to the Mayor and an Assistant Commissioner of Planning and Development. In 1993, she became the executive director for the Chicago office of Public Allies. This is a non-profit group that helps young people work on social issues. She worked there for almost four years. She also set new records for fundraising for the organization.
In 1996, Michelle Obama became the Associate Dean of Student Services at the University of Chicago. There, she helped create the university's Community Service Center. In 2002, she started working for the University of Chicago Hospitals. She was first the executive director for community affairs. Then, in May 2005, she became vice president for Community and External Affairs.
She continued this job during Barack's 2008 presidential campaign. But she worked part-time to spend more time with her daughters. She also worked to support her husband's election. Later, she took a break from her job.
First Lady of the United States (2009–2017)
When she first became First Lady, Michelle Obama visited homeless shelters and soup kitchens. She also sent people to schools to talk about public service.
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As First Lady, Michelle Obama worked on several important projects. She supported military families and helped working women balance their careers and families. She also encouraged national service and promoted the arts and arts education. Supporting military families became a very important mission for her. In April 2012, she and her husband received an award for helping homeless veterans. This award is the highest honor given to people who help homeless veterans.
Let's Move! Campaign
Michelle Obama's predecessors, Hillary Clinton and Laura Bush, supported organic food. Michelle Obama continued this by planting the White House Kitchen Garden. This was an organic garden, the first one at the White House since Eleanor Roosevelt was First Lady. She also had bee hives installed. The garden provided fresh, organic food and honey for the First Family's meals. It also supplied food for official dinners and events.
In January 2010, Michelle Obama started her first big project as First Lady. She called it "Let's Move!" The goal was to help stop childhood obesity in the United States. On February 9, 2010, she officially announced Let's Move! President Barack Obama then created a special group called the Task Force on Childhood Obesity. This group looked at all programs and made a national plan to help.
Michelle Obama said she wanted this effort to be her lasting achievement. She hoped that because of her work, childhood obesity would change for the better. Her 2012 book, American Grown: The Story of the White House Kitchen Garden and Gardens Across America, shares her experiences with the garden. It also encourages healthy eating.
Michelle Obama's Recent Activities (2018–present)
In 2021, Michelle Obama shared that she was "moving toward retirement." She still takes part in political campaigns. However, she is working less to spend more time with her husband.
Becoming Memoir
Michelle Obama's memoir, Becoming, was released in November 2018. By November 2019, it had sold 11.5 million copies. A documentary film called Becoming was released on Netflix in May 2020. This film shows Michelle Obama's book tour for her memoir. She won a Grammy Award for Best Audio Book, Narration & Storytelling Recording in 2020 for the audiobook version.
Podcasts and TV Shows
In July 2020, she started her own podcast called The Michelle Obama Podcast. In February 2021, it was announced that Michelle Obama would be an executive producer and host for a children's cooking show. The show is called Waffles + Mochi and was released on Netflix in March 2021.
On September 11, 2021, the Obamas attended a memorial. This was to remember the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. More recently, Michelle and Barack's production company, Higher Ground, signed a deal with Netflix. They will develop comedies. Michelle Obama won two Children's and Family Emmy Awards. These were for Outstanding Short Form Program (We the People) and Outstanding Preschool Animated Series (Ada Twist, Scientist).
In March 2025, she launched another podcast called IMO with her brother Craig Robinson.
Film and Television Appearances
Michelle Obama has appeared in TV comedies. These include Parks and Recreation in 2014 and Black-ish in 2022. She was nominated for a Black Reel Award for her role in Black-ish. She also produced the documentary film Crip Camp (2020). And she produced the biographical drama film Rustin (2023).
The Light We Carry Book
On July 21, 2022, it was announced that Michelle Obama's next book would be published. It is called The Light We Carry: Overcoming in Uncertain Times. The book was released in November 2022 by Penguin Random House. In 2023, Michelle Obama was nominated for an Emmy Award. This was for the Netflix documentary film The Light We Carry: Michelle Obama and Oprah Winfrey.
Michelle Obama's Family
Michelle Obama's brother, Craig Robinson, is a basketball coach. Her father, Fraser Robinson, worked for the Chicago Water Department. Her mother, Marian Robinson, stayed home to raise Michelle and Craig. Michelle and Barack Obama have two daughters: Malia (born in 1998) and Sasha (born in 2001).
Famous Quotes by Michelle Obama
- "I am an example of what is possible when girls from the very beginning of their lives are loved and nurtured by people around them."
- "When someone is cruel or acts like a bully, you don't stoop to their level. No, our motto is, when they go low, we go high."
- "Strong men, men who are truly role models, don't need to put down women to make themselves feel powerful."
- "Whether you come from a council estate or a country estate, your success will be determined by your own confidence and fortitude."
- "Your story is what you have, what you will always have. It is something to own."
Fun Facts About Michelle Obama
- She was the first African American First Lady of the United States.
- Her brother Craig is only 21 months older than her. People sometimes thought they were twins when they were growing up.
- Michelle Obama served as a role model for women.
- She worked to raise awareness about poverty, education, nutrition, physical activity, and healthy eating.
- Michelle Obama started the Let's Move! campaign. This was to help stop childhood obesity in the United States.
- She supported American designers and was seen as a fashion icon.
- Michelle skipped second grade in school.
- Michelle Obama doesn't like the question “What do you want to be when you grow up?” She believes you keep growing, changing, learning, and doing different things even as an adult.
Awards and Honors
In November 2023, Michelle Obama was included in the BBC's 100 Women list.
| Year | Award | Category | Nominated work | Result | Ref. |
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| 2019 | Grammy Awards | Best Spoken Word Album | Becoming | Won | |
| 2023 | Best Audio Book, Narration & Storytelling Recording | The Light We Carry: Overcoming in Uncertain Times | Won | ||
| 2023 | Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Hosted Nonfiction Series or Special | The Light We Carry: Michelle Obama and Oprah Winfrey | Nominated |
Images for kids
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The Obama family home in Chicago
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The Obamas attend a church service in Washington, D.C., January 2013.
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Malia and Sasha Obama prepare to enter Air Force One, Michelle Obama and President Obama behind them, on March 7, 2015.
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Michelle and Barack Obama with King Salman of Saudi Arabia and members of the Saudi royal family, January 27, 2015
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Obama speaks at a Hillary Clinton presidential campaign rally at Southern New Hampshire University, October 13, 2016.
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Obama wore Isabel Toledo clothes made of St. Gallen Embroidery to the 2009 presidential inauguration.
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Obama in Jason Wu
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Obama with her husband attend a wreath laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington National Cemetery after the Inauguration of Joe Biden in 2021
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See also
In Spanish: Michelle Obama para niños
