1964-present
Latest News: Michelle Obama Wins Second Grammy Award
Talk about a talented former first family!
Michelle Obama won her second Grammy Award on Sunday—equaling her husband and former President Barack Obama—in the Best AudiobookNarrationand Storytelling Recording category for The Light We Carry: Overcoming in Uncertain Times. Other nominees included actors Meryl Streep and William ShatnerSenator Bernie Sandersand record executive Rick Rubin.
Michelle Obama60was not in attendance in Los Angeleswhere the award was announced during the Grammys pre-show on Sunday afternoon. She previously won in the same category for the audio version of her 2018 memoir Becoming.
Barack previously received two Grammys for Best Spoken Word Album for Dreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance and The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream.
Who Is Michelle Obama?
Michelle Obama is a lawyerwriterand philanthropist who was the first lady of the United States from 2009 to 2017. She was the first Black woman to hold this position. Michelle is the wife of America’s 44th presidentBarack Obama. As first ladyObama focused her attention on social issues such as povertyhealthy livingand education. She won a Grammy Award for her 2018 memoirBecomingwhich discusses the experiences that shaped herfrom her childhood in Chicago to her years living in the White House.
Quick Facts
FULL NAME: Michelle LaVaughn Robinson Obama
BORN: January 171964
BIRTHPLACE: ChicagoIllinois
SPOUSE: Barack Obama (1992-present)
CHILDREN: Malia and Sasha
ASTROLOGICAL SIGN: Capricorn
Early Life
Michelle LaVaughn Robinson was born on January 171964in Chicago. Her fatherFraser Robinsonwas a city-pump operator and a Democratic precinct captain. Her motherMarianwas a secretary at Spiegel’s catalog store but later stayed home to raise Michelle and her older brotherCraig. At 21 months apart in ageCraig and Michelle were often mistaken for twins.
The Robinson family lived in a small bungalow on Chicago’s South Side. Michelle and Craig shared quarterssleeping in the living room with a sheet serving as a makeshift room divider. They were a close-knit familytypically sharing mealsreadingand playing games together. She later said of her childhood: “I had a very stableconventional upbringingand that felt very safe to me.”
Education
Raised with an emphasis on educationboth Michelle and her brother learned to read at home by age 4. Both skipped the second grade. By the sixth gradeMichelle was taking classes in her school’s gifted programwhere she learned French and completed accelerated courses in biology. Michelle went on to attend Whitney M. Young Magnet High Schoolthe city’s first magnet high school for gifted childrenwhereamong other activitiesshe served as the student government treasurer. She graduated in 1981 as class salutatorian.
Following in her older brother’s footstepsMichelle applied for Princeton University. Some teachers tried to dissuade her from applyingtelling her she would never get accepted: “Some of my teachers straight up told me that I was setting my sights too high.” Neverthelessshe was acceptedand ultimately graduated cum laude in 1985 with a bachelor’s degree in sociology. Michelle went on to study law at Harvard Law Schoolwhere she took part in demonstrations calling for the enrollment and hiring of more minority students and professors. She was awarded her juris doctor in 1988.
Career in Law and Public Service
After graduating law school in 1988Michelle worked as an associate in the Chicago branch of the firm Sidley Austin. Her focus was marketing and intellectual property. In 1991she left corporate law to pursue a career in public serviceworking as an assistant to Mayor Richard Daley and then as the assistant commissioner of planning and development for the City of Chicago. In 1993Michelle became executive director for the Chicago office of Public Alliesa nonprofit leadership-training program that helps young adults develop skills for future careers in the public sector.
In 1996Michelle joined the University of Chicago as associate dean of student servicesdeveloping the school’s first community-service program. Beginning in 2002she worked for the University of Chicago Hospitals as executive director of community relations and external affairs. In May 2005Michelle was appointed vice president for community and external affairs at the University of Chicago Medical Centerwhere she continued to work part-time until shortly before her husband’s inauguration as president. She also served as a board member for the prestigious Chicago Council on Global Affairs.
Marriage to Barack Obama and Daughters
Michelle met Barack Obama in 1989 at the Chicago firm Sidley Austin. He was a summer internand Michelle was assigned to him as an adviser. They were among the few Black people working at the firm at the time. InitiallyMichelle refused to date Barackbelieving that their work relationship would make the romance improper. She eventually relentedhoweverand the couple soon fell in love.
Barack described their early relationship as an “opposites attract” situation because he had a different background and a more adventurous personality than Michelle. After two years of datingBarack proposedand the two married on October 31992.
The couple has two daughters: Maliaborn in 1998and Sashaborn in 2001. Both Michelle and Barack have stated that their personal priority is their children. The Obamas tried to make their daughters’ world as “normal” as possible while living in the White Housewith set times for studyinggoing to bed and getting up. “My first priority will always be to make sure that our girls are healthy and grounded,” Michelle has said. “Then I want to help other families get the support they neednot just to survivebut to thrive.”
Campaigning for Her Husband
Obama had long known her husband might pursue a political career and said in as early as 1996: “I’m very wary of politics. I think he’s too much of a good guy for the kind of brutalitythe skepticism.” She opposed Barack’s decision to run for the U.S. House of Representatives but nevertheless campaigned for him during his unsuccessful primary campaign in 2000. She first caught the eye of a national audience while at her husband’s side when he delivered a high-profile speech at the Democratic National Convention in 2004. Barack was elected as U.S. Senator from Illinois that November.
As her husband’s political role pushed the family into the spotlightMichelle was publicly recognized for her no-nonsense campaign as well as her sense of fashion. In May 2006she was featured in Essence magazine as one of “25 of the World’s Most Inspiring Women.” In September 2007Michelle was included in 02138 magazine as number 58 in “The Harvard 100,” a yearly list of the school’s most influential alumni. She also twice appeared on the cover of Vogue and made the Vanity Fair best-dressed list two years in a row as well as People magazine’s 2008 best-dressed list.
Michelle had reservations about Barack’s decision to run for presidenttoo; she worried about how it would affect their daughters. Those concerns proved unfoundedas Michelle said they “could care less” about the campaign. In 2007Michelle scaled back her own professional work to attend to family and campaign obligations during Barack’s run for the Democratic presidential nomination. When they were out on the trailthey would leave their daughters with Michelle’s motherMarian. Barack won the nomination and later defeated Republican challenger John McCain in the general election to become the 44th president of the United States. He was inaugurated on January 202009.
When her husband sought reelection in 2012facing a challenging race against Republican presidential nominee Mitt RomneyMichelle diligently campaigned on his behalf. By this timeshe had a more established public image and was widely popular. Politico described her as “the most popular member of the Obama administration” and an invaluable asset when it comes to raising money and delivering speeches. She traveled the countrygiving talks and making public appearances. On November 62012Barack was re-elected for a second term.
Causes and Accomplishments as First Lady
As first lady of the United StatesMichelle focused her attention on issues such as the support of military familieshelping working women balance career and familyand encouraging national service. During the first year of the Obama presidencyMichelle and Barack volunteered at homeless shelters and soup kitchens in the WashingtonD.C. area. Michelle also made appearances at public schoolsstressing the importance of education and volunteer work.
Ever conscious of her family’s diet and healthMichelle supported the organic-food movementinstructing the White House kitchens to prepare organic food for guests and her family. In March 2009Michelle worked with 23 fifth graders from a WashingtonD.C. school to plant an 1,100-square-foot vegetable garden and install beehives on the South Lawn of the White House. The garden expanded its footprint throughout the Obama administrationand Michelle continued to host events with schoolchildren there. She also put reducing childhood obesity near the top of her agenda.
Michelle remained committed to health and wellness causes throughout her time as first lady. In 2012she announced a new fitness program for kids as part of her Let’s Move initiative. Along with the U.S. Olympic team and other sports organizationsshe worked to get young people to try out a new sport or activity. She also released a book as part of her mission to promote healthy eating called American Grown: The Story of the White House Kitchen Garden and Gardens Across America (2012)which included her own experience creating a vegetable garden as well as the work of community gardens elsewhere.
Notable Speeches
Throughout her careerObama has given a number of powerful speeches. In September 2012she delivered a noteworthy speech at the Democratic National Convention. “Every daythe people I meet inspire meevery day they make me proudevery day they remind me how blessed we are to live in the greatest nation on earth,” she said. “Serving as your first lady is an honor and a privilege.” Obama won both public and critical praise for her narrativecalled a “shining moment” by The Washington Post.
In July 2016Michelle campaigned in support of presidential candidate Hillary Clinton at the Democratic National Convention. When Clinton was named the Democratic presidential nomineeshe became the first woman in the country’s history to win a major political party’s presidential nomination. On the first night of the conventionMichelle spoke in support of Clintonwho had previously run against Barack during the 2008 primariesand Clinton’s vision of a progressive America.
“I wake up every morning in a house that was built by slavesand I watch my daughterstwo beautifulintelligentBlack young womenplaying with their dogs on the White House lawn,” she said. “And because of Hillary Clintonmy daughtersand all our sons and daughtersnow take for granted that a woman can be president of the United States.” During the same speechMichelle alluded to the behavior of Clinton’s Republican challenger Donald Trumpsaying her party would not stoop to his levelwith the famous phrase: “Our motto iswhen they go lowwe go high.”
On January 132017Michelle made her final speech as first lady at the White Housesaying “being your first lady has been the greatest honor of my lifeand I hope I’ve made you proud.” In an emotional momentshe addressed young Americans:
“I want our young people to know that they matterthat they belong. So don’t be afraid. You hear meyoung 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.”
Obama Foundation
In 2014Barack and Michelle established the Obama Foundation that is overseeing the creation of the Obama Presidential Center in Chicago’s South Side. The nonprofit also runs numerous programs aligned with its mission “to inspireempowerand connect people to change their world.” Michelle is particularly involved with the foundation’s Girls Opportunity Alliancewhich supports education for girls around the world.
Books and Podcasts
On November 132018Michelle published her critically acclaimed memoirBecoming. Describing the “deeply personal experience” of writing the bookshe tweeted: “I talk about my roots and how a girl from the South Side found her voice. I hope my journey inspires readers to find the courage to become whoever they aspire to be.” In just 15 daysit became the best-selling book in the United States for the year 2018 and also became a bestseller in several other countriesincluding the United KingdomFranceGermanyAustraliaSouth Koreaand South Africa. In 2020Michelle won a Grammy for Best Spoken Word Album for the audiobook version of Becoming.
Michelle published a second book in 2022 called The Light We Carry: Overcoming in Uncertain Times. In itMichelle shared the contents of what she described as her “personal toolbox,” including attitudeshabitsand practices used to overcome feelings of fearhelplessnessand uncertainty. In particularit addressed the “low-grade form” of depression that gripped the nation during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Michelle premiered a podcast in 2020 called The Michelle Obama Podcast. Podcast critic Nicholas Quah of Vulture said it explored similar themes as the former first lady’s memoir Becomingcalling it entertaining and writing that he was “deeply moved and taken by its comfortsso parched am I for any modicum of moral leadership in the public sphere.” In March 2023Michelle launched Michelle Obama: The Light Podcastto accompany her book The Light We Carry.
In February 2024the audiobook version of The Light We Carry earned Obama her second Grammy Award.
Partnership with Netflix
In May 2018Michelle and Barack announced that they signed a multi-year deal to produce TV series and films for Netflix through their companyHigher Ground Productions. “Barack and I have always believed in the power of storytelling to inspire usto make us think differently about the world around us,” the former First Lady said in a statement.
Their first joint effort resulted in Netflix’s release of American Factory (2019)a documentary about the 2015 launch of a Chinese-owned automotive glass factory in DaytonOhioand the clash of differing cultures and business interests. A hit with criticsAmerican Factory earned an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature in February 2020. Michelle was an executive producer and presenter on the Netflix children’s cooking series Waffles + Mochi. Additionally, Netflix and Higher Ground Productions partnered on the documentary Becoming (2020)based upon Michelle’s memoir of the same name.
Quotes
- Every daythe people I meet inspire me. Every daythey make me proud. Every daythey remind me how blessed we are to live in the greatest nation on Earth. Serving as your first lady is an honor and a privilege.
- When I hear about negative and false attacksI really don’t invest any energy in thembecause I know who I am.
- Our motto iswhen they go lowwe go high.
- One of the lessons that I grew up with was to always stay true to yourself and never let what somebody else says distract you from your goals.
- I have the privilege of working on the issues that I choose and the issues that I feel most passionate about.
- These are the moments that define us—not the day you get the promotionnot the day you win teacher of the yearbut the times that force you to claw and scratch and fight just to get through the day; the moments when you get knocked down and you’re wondering whether it’s even worth it to get back up. Those are the times when you’ve got to ask yourself“Who am I going to be?”
- That’s what’s always made this country great—embracing the diversity of experience and opinion that surrounds us everywhere we go.
- The only difference between me and every other woman that I know is that my challenges are publicizedand I’m doing this juggling in front of cameras.
- We should always have three friends in our lives: one who walks ahead who we look up to and we follow; one who walks beside uswho is with us every step of our journeys; and thenone who we reach back for and we bring along after we’ve cleared the way.
- People told me‘You can do it all. Just stay the courseget your educationand you can raise a childstay thinbe in shapelove your manlook goodand raise healthy children.’ That was a lie.
- Exercise is really important to me—it’s therapeutic. So if I’m ever feeling tense or stressed or like I’m about to have a meltdownI’ll put on my iPod and head to the gym or out on a bike ride along Lake Michigan with the girls.
- It would be hard for me to edit myself and still be me.
- We learned about dignity and decency—that how hard you work matters more than how much you make... that helping others means more than just getting ahead yourself.
- As womenwe must stand up for ourselves. As womenwe must stand up for each other. As womenwe must stand up for justice for all.
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