On Christmas Day, President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama dropped in on servicemembers in Kaneohe, Hawaii to thank our troops for their "extraordinary service on behalf of our country."
The White House
Office of the Press Secretary
Michelle and I extend our warmest wishes to those celebrating Kwanzaa this holiday season. Today begins a celebration highlighting the rich African American heritage and culture through the seven principles of Kwanzaa—unity, self-determination, collective work and responsibility, cooperative economics, purpose, creativity and faith. During this season, families come together to reflect on blessings of the past year and look forward to the promises in the year ahead. As we remain committed to building a country that provides opportunity for all, this time of year reminds us that there is much to be thankful for.
As families around the world unite to light the Kinara today, our family extends our prayers and best wishes during this holiday season.
The White House
Office of the First Lady
Via Telephone
*** Photo available here: http://bit.ly/1vpvmNH ***
11:32 A.M. HAST
MRS. OBAMA: Hi! This is Mrs. Obama, who am I talking to?
DANIEL: Daniel.
MRS. OBAMA: Is this Daniel?
DANIEL: Mm-hmm.
MRS. OBAMA: Do you have a sister with you, too?
DANIEL: Mm-hmm.
MRS. OBAMA: What's her name?
DANIEL: Danielle.
MRS. OBAMA: Daniel and Danielle, how old are you guys?
DANIEL: I'm eight, Danielle is five.
MRS. OBAMA: Are you excited tonight because it's Christmas Eve?
DANIEL: Mm-hmm.
MRS. OBAMA: This is one of the most exciting nights of the whole year, isn't it?
DANIEL: Mm-hmm.
MRS. OBAMA: Yes, my kids are excited, too. Did you call to see where Santa is right now?
DANIEL: Yes.
MRS. OBAMA: Okay, I'm looking at the satellite right now and it says -- I see a bleep on the screen and it looks like it's Santa with a sleigh. Yes, I think that's him and it says he is heading for Italy. He is going to be in Italy in one minute and forty-eight seconds. So he is moving pretty fast and he should probably get to your house right when you go to sleep tonight. So you and Danielle have to get to bed on time, when your mom -- your folks tell you to go to bed and shut your eyes. And the minute you guys are sound asleep, Santa is going to be at your house, okay?
DANIEL: Mm-hmm. Thank you.
MRS. OBAMA: So you guys have a very merry Christmas, okay? I think you've been good boys and girls, right?
DANIEL: Mm-hmm.
MRS. OBAMA: So it's going to be an exciting morning, okay?
DANIEL: Okay. Thank you and merry Christmas.
MRS. OBAMA: Okay, bye-bye, sweetie. Merry Christmas.
DANIEL: Bye.
MRS. OBAMA: Bye.
***
EMMA: Hello!
MRS. OBAMA: Hi! Who is this? This is Michelle Obama, the First Lady, who am I talking to?
EMMA: Emma Rusk, and my sister, Sara Rusk.
MRS. OBAMA: Emma and Sara. Wow, are you guys in Ontario?
EMMA: Yes.
MRS. OBAMA: How old are you both?
EMMA: I am ten and my sister is eight.
MRS. OBAMA: Ten and eight, oh you guys must be so excited tonight that it's Christmas Eve, aren't you?
EMMA: Yes.
MRS. OBAMA: Yes, so are we. We're in Hawaii and my kids are really excited that it's Christmas Eve. So are you calling because you want to find out where Santa is?
EMMA: Yes.
MRS. OBAMA: Okay, well, I'm looking at the satellite. They asked me to man the satellite for a little bit, and I'm looking at the tracker. Wow, he is all the way in Italy -- can you believe that? Sardinia, Italy. He is flying really fast. I mean, you wouldn't believe how fast Santa flies. But I can see that he has got his reindeer. And it looks -- I'm getting a close-up -- and it looks like he has got a lot of presents in that sleigh. So have you guys been good girls this year?
EMMA: Yes.
MRS. OBAMA: What do you want for Christmas? What's the one thing you really hope you get tomorrow?
EMMA: Well, I'd really like a little music player to go on field trips and everything like that. My friend Mackenzie, she has this DS that she always brings and she never shares it.
MRS. OBAMA: Yeah? That sounds pretty good. Well, here is the thing, Santa won't get to your house until you guys are fast asleep. You know that, right?
EMMA: Yes.
MRS. OBAMA: He kind of bops all over the world, but he gets to your house when you're fast asleep. So you guys have to go to bed when your folks tell you to go to bed. And go right to sleep, and then he'll come. All right?
EMMA: Yes.
MRS. OBAMA: Okay, well, you guys get a good night's sleep, okay?
EMMA: Thank you for speaking to me.
MRS. OBAMA: Oh, thank you for calling, Sweetie.
EMMA: And my sister would really like to talk to you.
MRS. OBAMA: Okay. Hello?
SARA: Hi.
MRS. OBAMA: Hi, is this Sarah? Hi, Sarah!
SARA: Do you believe in Santa?
MRS. OBAMA: I do believe in Santa. I believe in Santa -- Christmas Eve is the best night in the whole year, don't you think?
SARA: Yes.
MRS. OBAMA: That's why I try to be good all year. I try to help other people and eat my vegetables, and be kind to all the kids that I know because I believe that Santa is watching, don't you?
SARA: Does the President believe in Santa?
MRS. OBAMA: The President believes in Santa very much, yes. That's one of the reasons why we try to help the kids who call, because we've got all this wonderful equipment. So we like to get on the phone and help kids see where Santa is. And I just told your sister he is in Italy right now. Can you believe that? All the way in another part of the world, Santa and his reindeer are flying right now. And they're going to be at your house as soon as you're fast asleep. That's when Santa comes. He doesn't come until you're asleep, okay?
SARA: Okay.
MRS. OBAMA: All right. So be good tonight, listen to your folks, and have a very merry Christmas tomorrow. Okay, sweetie?
SARA: Okay.
MRS. OBAMA: All right, bye-bye. Goodnight!
SARA: Merry Christmas.
EMMA: Merry Christmas!
MRS. OBAMA: Thank you, sweetie.
SARA: Bye.
***
MRS. OBAMA: Hello, this is the First Lady, Michelle Obama. Is this Samantha?
SAMANTHA'S MOM: Ah, this is Samantha's mom.
MRS. OBAMA: Hi, Samantha's mom. How are you guys doing?
SAMANTHA'S MOM: I'm good, how about you?
MRS. OBAMA: We're good. We're excited that it's Christmas Eve, and we know your little people are excited, too.
SAMANTHA'S MOM: Yes, they are. I have three girls.
MRS. OBAMA: What are their names? You have Samantha and who else?
SAMANTHA'S MOM: Darlene and Skilar.
MRS. OBAMA: Darlene and Darlynn?
SAMANTHA'S MOM: Ski. (Laughter.)
MRS. OBAMA: Ski?
SAMANTHA'S MOM: Yes, ma'am.
MRS. OBAMA: Awesome. Well, I am here to track Santa for one of them if they want to find out where he is.
SAMANTHA'S MOM: Yes, ma'am. Here is Samantha.
MRS. OBAMA: Hello?
SAMANTHA: Hi.
MRS. OBAMA: Hi, Samantha. How are you?
SAMANTHA: I'm good.
MRS. OBAMA: Are you excited because it's Christmas Eve?
SAMANTHA: Yes.
MRS. OBAMA: Yes, so are we. I'm here at this place called NORAD that can look at any place in the world, and I'm helping them track Santa. So I'm using their computers, because they've got a big computer system that helps track Santa. And do you want to know where he is right now?
SAMANTHA: Yes.
MRS. OBAMA: Right now, he is in a country called Croatia, which is in Europe.
SAMANTHA: Oh.
MRS. OBAMA: Yes, and he is traveling so fast. And I can see, because you can zoom in, I can see that he has got his reindeer and his sleigh, and it's full of toys. It's full of toys for all the good girls and boys. Have you been good this year?
SAMANTHA: Yes.
MRS. OBAMA: Yes? Have the rest of your -- you have other sisters, right?
SAMANTHA: Yes.
MRS. OBAMA: Have they been good, too?
SAMANTHA: Yes.
MRS. OBAMA: Well, then you know what's going to happen?
SAMANTHA: Santa is going to give us presents?
MRS. OBAMA: He is going to bring some presents. But, look, Santa doesn't get to your house until ever child in the house is fast asleep. You do know that, right?
SAMANTHA: Yes.
MRS. OBAMA: He doesn't come until you go to sleep so you've got to kind of get all the excitement out, and you've got to go bed when your mom tells you to tonight, okay?
SAMANTHA: Okay. Tonight we're going to church.
MRS. OBAMA: Are you going to -- well, he is going to come when you get home from church.
SAMANTHA: Ohhh --
MRS. OBAMA: Yes, so it's great that you guys are going to church. Are you going to say some prayers for other people around the world?
SAMANTHA: Yes.
MRS. OBAMA: That's wonderful. I'm very proud of you guys. It sounds like you've had a great year this year. You've been pretty good, huh?
SAMANTHA: Yes.
MRS. OBAMA: All right, well, then Santa knows. So he is going to be showing up.
SAMANTHA: Okay.
MRS. OBAMA: Okay, you guys have a very merry Christmas, okay? Tell your whole family that we wish them -- the President and the First Lady -- we wish you guys a very merry Christmas, okay?
SAMANTHA: Okay.
MRS. OBAMA: Okay. Good night! And have a good time at church, okay?
SAMANTHA: Okay. Merry Christmas!
MRS. OBAMA: Okay, thanks, you guys! Bye-bye!
SAMANTHA: Bye.
***
MRS. OBAMA: Hello, this is the First Lady. Is this Cameron? Hi, Cameron? Hello? This is Michelle Obama, the First Lady. I'm helping out at NORAD to help them locate Santa. I hear that Cameron is calling to try to find out where Santa is.
CAMERON: Yup!
MRS. OBAMA: All right, I'm looking at my satellite. Cameron, do you know where Santa is right this minute?
CAMERON: Where?
MRS. OBAMA: He is in Kosovo? He is all the way in Europe right now with his sleigh, and he has got nine reindeer. It looks like -- I'm counting, and I think I count nine, but I might be missing one. And he is flying really fast. It takes these special computers to track him down. So he is in Kosovo. But do you know when he gets to your house?
CAMERON: When?
MRS. OBAMA: As soon as you are fast asleep, okay, Cameron?
CAMERON: Okay.
MRS. OBAMA: Have you been good this year?
CAMERON: Yes.
MRS. OBAMA: Oh, that's great. It's an exciting night, isn't it?
CAMERON: Yes.
MRS. OBAMA: I bet you can't wait until Santa gets there.
CAMERON: Yes.
MRS. OBAMA: Yes, well, make sure you go to bed when your mom and dad, they tell you to go to bed, okay?
CAMERON: Okay.
MRS. OBAMA: All right, have a very merry Christmas, okay, Cameron?
CAMERON: Okay.
MRS. OBAMA: All right, bye, sweetie.
CAMERON: Bye.
***
MRS. OBAMA: Hi, this is First Lady Michelle Obama. I hear that Kenzie, Renee, Tori and Rusty are calling to find out where Santa is. Am I right?
MOTHER: Yes.
MRS. OBAMA: Are they ready? I'm looking at the satellite tracker right now. And right now it says that Santa is in one minute and twenty-eight seconds, he is going to be in Venice, Italy. He is all the way in Europe right now.
MOTHER: Wow.
MRS. OBAMA: Yes, and he has got a sleigh full of toys. You can zoom in in on this satellite and you can see -- just make out Santa and his reindeer, and he has got a whole sleigh full of toys.
MOTHER: Oh, wow.
MRS. OBAMA: Yes. Have those guys been good over there?
MOTHER: Yes, they've been pretty good.
MRS. OBAMA: That's awesome. Well, I wish you all a really merry Christmas.
MOTHER: Thank you.
MRS. OBAMA: And one thing they should know is that Santa won't get to their house until they're fast asleep. That's when he knows it's time to go, so they should go to bed whenever mom tells them to tonight. All right, you guys have a very, very merry Christmas.
MOTHER: Thank you; you, too.
MRS. OBAMA: All right, take care.
CHILD: Thank you!
MRS. OBAMA: Thanks, guys! Merry Christmas!
CHILDREN: Merry Christmas!
MRS. OBAMA: Thanks, you guys! Bye-bye! You guys take care.
***
MRS. OBAMA: Hi! This is First Lady Michelle Obama. I hear that Benjamin is on the line and he is trying to find out where Santa is.
BENJAMIN: Yes.
MRS. OBAMA: Is this Benjamin?
BENJAMIN: Yes.
MRS. OBAMA: How old are you, Benjamin?
BENJAMIN: Five.
MRS. OBAMA: You're five?
BENJAMIN: Yes.
MRS. OBAMA: Are you excited because it's Christmas Eve?
BENJAMIN: Yes.
MRS. OBAMA: Yes, so am I. What did you say, Ben? Okay, you want to find out where Santa is? I'm looking at the satellite right now and he is all the way in Europe. He is flying over Slovenia. That's a country in Europe. So he is far away right now, but Santa comes to your house as soon as you are fast asleep, okay, Benjamin? That's when he knows -- he bops all over the world, and the minute you shut your eyes and go to sleep, that's when he comes to your house, okay?
BENJAMIN: Thank you.
MRS. OBAMA: You are so welcome. And have a very merry Christmas. It's going to be a great morning tomorrow, okay?
BENJAMIN: Merry Christmas!
MRS. OBAMA: Okay, thank you, sweetie. Goodnight!
BENJAMIN: Goodnight! I can't believe it!
***
MRS. OBAMA: Hello! This is Michelle Obama. I'm here at NORAD and I'm helping them track Santa for boys and girls who are calling. I hear that Jack, Aubrey and Benjamin are trying to find out where Santa is right now. Are they on the line?
AUBREY: Hi, Michelle Obama!
MRS. OBAMA: Hi! How are you?
AUBREY: Good.
MRS. OBAMA: Who am I talking to right now?
AUBREY: I'm Aubrey. Where is Santa?
MRS. OBAMA: Hi, Aubrey. How old are you?
AUBREY: Seven.
MRS. OBAMA: Seven. Are you excited that tonight is Christmas Eve?
AUBREY: Yes.
MRS. OBAMA: It is so exciting. We're excited here. My girls are very excited. They can't wait for Santa. Do you want to know where Santa is right now?
AUBREY: Yes, ma'am.
MRS. OBAMA: I'm looking at the satellite, and right now, he is flying over Hungary. Can you believe that? That's a country in Europe.
AUBREY: Wow!
MRS. OBAMA: Yes, he flies so fast. He can travel anywhere in the world in the blink of an eye. And you know when he comes to your house?
AUBREY: No.
MRS. OBAMA: When you're fast asleep. That's when he knows to come, to bring the toys to your house. So you've got to go to bed when your mom and your folks tell you to go to bed, okay?
AUBREY: I don't need to go to bed. (Laughter.)
MRS. OBAMA: You don't think you need to go to bed? (Laughter.)
AUBREY: No, we don't!
MRS. OBAMA: You're going to stay up, you think?
AUBREY: No.
MRS. OBAMA: Well, you might get tired. And just when you get tired --
AUBREY: But I'm not tired!
MRS. OBAMA: Well, that may be later. You may not be tired right now, but maybe later. And it only takes a second. You close your eyes for a second and Santa is there. There have been times when I was little, I tried to stay up, too, but I just never could make it. But maybe, maybe when you close your eyes for that second, when you get tired, that's when Santa is going to show up, okay?
AUBREY: Ahhh!
MRS. OBAMA: Okay. (Laughter.) Have you guys been good this year?
AUBREY: Yes.
MRS. OBAMA: I can tell. You sound like you are very smart and good boys and girls over at your house. Am I right?
AUBREY: Yes.
MRS. OBAMA: Good. Well, you guys are going to have a very merry Christmas, okay?
AUBREY: Merry Christmas.
MRS. OBAMA: All right, you guys go to bed when your parents tell you to, okay?
AUBREY: Yes, merry Christmas.
MRS. OBAMA: Merry Christmas and a happy new year!
Father: Happy new year!
MRS. OBAMA: Okay, guys, bye-bye.
***
MRS. OBAMA: Hi, this is Michelle Obama. I'm helping out at NORAD to help kids who want to find out where Santa is. I hear that we've got some kids over there who want to find out. Are they on the line?
FATHER: They are!
MRS. OBAMA: Wow, who am I talking to?
PAIGE: Paige.
MRS. OBAMA: Hi, Paige! This is Michelle Obama, how are you?
PAIGE: I'm great.
MRS. OBAMA: Is Westley there, too? And Ila?
FATHER: Elly.
MRS. OBAMA: Terrific. Do you guys want to know where Santa is right now?
FATHER: Yes, we're just trying to find out when these kids need to go to bed.
MRS. OBAMA: Yes, well, right now, I'm looking at the satellite and it shows -- I see a sleigh and I see reindeer. But you know, Santa, right now, he is in Poland.
FATHER: Poland?
MRS. OBAMA: He is in Krakow, Poland right now. But here is the thing that I have learned about Santa, is that he travels at the speed of light. And he can be anywhere at a moment's notice. And right now, he happens to be in Europe. But you can let Paige and let all the kids know that the minute they go to bed, that's when Santa shows up. So he is not going to get there until they go to sleep.
FATHER: Okay, did you guys here that?
CHILDREN: Mm-hmm.
FATHER: Wow, tell the President hi from the Stevensons(ph). (Laughter.)
MRS. OBAMA: We will tell the President. And I hope that all the kids over there go to bed as soon as their parents tell them to go to bed.
FATHER: They will.
MRS. OBAMA: Okay. Well, I hope you guys have been good.
FATHER: They've been fantastic.
MRS. OBAMA: That's awesome. Well, that means you're going to have a great Christmas, and you guys have a really safe and wonderful new year.
FATHER: Thank you. Merry Christmas!
MRS. OBAMA: Merry Christmas. You all enjoy tomorrow.
FATHER: Thank you. Bye now.
MRS. OBAMA: Bye-bye.
***
MRS. OBAMA: Hello, this is Michelle Obama. I hear that I've got Cole and Jackson on the phone and they're looking for Santa.
MOTHER: Yes! Say hi.
COLE: Hi, Mrs. Obama.
MRS. OBAMA: Hi! How are you guys doing?
COLE: We're doing good.
MRS. OBAMA: Yes, are you excited it's Christmas Eve? It's the most exciting night of the whole year, isn't it?
COLE: Yes.
MRS. OBAMA: Yes, well, I am so excited. That's why I like to help out NORAD and help kids find Santa. Because when my kids were little, they wanted to know every second what was going on. So I'm looking at the satellite right now, and it says that Santa and his sleigh, in six seconds, will be flying over Prague. Do you know where Prague is? It's in Europe. It's in the Czech Republic. But here is the thing about Santa: Even though he is all the way in Europe, he can travel at the speed of light, which means he can be anywhere in a matter of seconds. So he comes to your house as soon as you're fast asleep. Did you know that?
COLE: Wow.
MRS. OBAMA: Yes, so you've got to go to bed when your mom and dad, they tell you to go to bed, okay?
COLE: Okay.
MRS. OBAMA: And that's when Santa will show up. All right? You got it?
COLE: Yes. How is the President?
MRS. OBAMA: The President is good. He is having a meeting right now with a Prime Minister somewhere. But he is here in Hawaii. We're here with our family, and everyone is excited for Christmas tomorrow. So I will tell him that you asked how he is doing. I know that he wishes you and your family a very merry Christmas.
COLE: Merry Christmas!
MRS. OBAMA: All right, you guys have a great day tomorrow.
FAMILY: Merry Christmas!
MRS. OBAMA: All right, merry Christmas. Happy new year.
***
MRS. OBAMA: Hi, Caroline?
CAROLINE: Yes, hello.
MRS. OBAMA: Hi, Caroline, this is Michelle Obama. How are you?
CAROLINE: I'm good, how are you?
MRS. OBAMA: I'm doing great. How old are you?
CAROLINE: I'm seven.
MRS. OBAMA: Are you seven? Wow, you sound so mature! Are you excited about Christmas tomorrow?
CAROLINE: Yes, I'm so excited. I can't wait to see what Santa brings.
MRS. OBAMA: Oh, my goodness. Well, I am helping out at NORAD and I like to do this every year because I get to help spot where Santa is. Do you want to know where he is right now?
CAROLINE: Yeah!
MRS. OBAMA: He is, right now, flying over Poland -- Warsaw, Poland. All the way in Europe. Can you imagine that?
CAROLINE: I can. Wow, that's far away. When will he come?
MRS. OBAMA: He is going to be at your house as soon as you're fast asleep. That's how he works. He can be anywhere in the world at the speed of light. But he doesn't come to your house until you're asleep. So tonight is the night where you've got to settle your excitement and go to bed when your parents tell you to go to bed. Okay?
CAROLINE: Okay, will do. Will you tell Mr. Obama I said merry Christmas?
MRS. OBAMA: I sure will, sweetie. And you tell your family that we wish you guys all a really merry Christmas and a happy new year, okay?
CAROLINE: Sounds good. Thank you!
MRS. OBAMA: Okay, have fun tomorrow.
CAROLINE: You, too. Bye.
MRS. OBAMA: Bye-bye.
***
MRS. OBAMA: Hello, this is Michelle Obama. Is Austin on the line?
AUSTIN: Yes.
MRS. OBAMA: Hi, Austin. How are you?
AUSTIN: Good, and you?
MRS. OBAMA: I'm doing really good. You know what, I'm excited that it's Christmas Eve, how about you?
AUSTIN: Me too.
MRS. OBAMA: Yes, I know that's why you're calling. You want to find out where Santa is right now, don't you?
AUSTIN: Yes.
MRS. OBAMA: Well, I'm looking at the satellite because I'm helping NORAD out tonight. And the satellite says that he right now is all the way in Poland. Can you imagine that?
AUSTIN: Yes.
MRS. OBAMA: I can see him. I can make out just a hint of a little bleep on the screen that looks like a sleigh, and reindeer pulling the sleigh. And it looks like the sleigh is packed full of toys. Can you imagine that?
AUSTIN: Yes.
MRS. OBAMA: That's pretty cool isn't it?
AUSTIN: Yes.
MRS. OBAMA: Well, you know when Santa is going to make it to your house?
AUSTIN: No.
MRS. OBAMA: As soon as you're fast asleep. That's how it works. Santa travels at the speed of light, and he can be anywhere around the world in a moment's notice. And he doesn't get to your house until you're fast asleep. So you've got to go to bed when your parents tell you to tonight, okay?
AUSTIN: Yes.
MRS. OBAMA: All right, are you getting sleepy yet?
AUSTIN: No. (Laughter.)
MRS. OBAMA: Not yet? Well, I know you're going to have a wonderful Christmas, okay?
AUSTIN: Okay.
MRS. OBAMA: It will be here before you know it. I know it's so exciting and it's hard to settle down but eventually you'll get tired and that's when Santa will know, and he is going to pop in and drop off the toys because I hear you've been a pretty good boy this year, right?
AUSTIN: Yes, ma'am.
MRS. OBAMA: All right, well, you have a great Christmas, okay, and we wish your whole family a very merry Christmas and a happy new year.
AUSTIN: Say hello to Mr. President for me.
MRS. OBAMA: I sure will. You take care, sweetie. Merry Christmas.
AUSTIN: You, too.
MRS. OBAMA: All right, bye-bye.
AUSTIN: Bye.
***
MRS. OBAMA: Hello, this is Michelle Obama. I'm helping out here at NORAD for kids who are looking to find out where Santa is. I hear Jasmine is looking to find out where Santa is.
FATHER: Yes, that's correct.
MRS. OBAMA: Is Jasmine on the line?
FATHER: Yes. Say hello.
JASMINE: Hello.
MRS. OBAMA: Hi, Jasmine! How are you?
JASMINE: Good.
MRS. OBAMA: Are you excited because it's Christmas Eve?
JASMINE: Yes.
MRS. OBAMA: Are you ready for Santa to come?
JASMINE: Yes.
MRS. OBAMA: Have you been good this year?
JASMINE: Yes.
MRS. OBAMA: That's terrific. Well, let me tell you, I'm looking at the satellite right now and it is showing that Santa and his sleigh right now are in Berlin, Germany. All the way in Europe, can you imagine that? I can see him bleeping on the screen, he has got his little Santa hat on, and he looks like he is sitting in -- well, it looks like a sleigh really full of toys. And you know when he gets to your house? When you're fast asleep. Okay?
JASMINE: Okay.
MRS. OBAMA: Santa can get anywhere in the world in the blink of an eye, but he doesn't come to your house until you're fast asleep, okay, sweetie?
JASMINE: Okay.
MRS. OBAMA: All right, so you've got to go to bed when your parents tell you to tonight, okay?
JASMINE: Okay.
MRS. OBAMA: And try hard to close your eyes and just relax, and go to sleep. And that's when Santa will come, okay?
JASMINE: Okay.
MRS. OBAMA: All right. Well, you have a great Christmas tomorrow, okay?
JASMINE: Okay.
MRS. OBAMA: And a happy new year. Okay, babe? Thanks for calling.
JASMINE: Bye-bye.
MRS. OBAMA: All right, bye-bye.
***
MRS. OBAMA: Hi, this is Michelle Obama. I'm helping out here at NORAD for kids who are looking for Santa. I hear Cassidy is on the line.
CASSIDY: Yes.
MRS. OBAMA: Hi, Cassidy! How are you?
CASSIDY: Good.
MRS. OBAMA: How old are you?
CASSIDY: I'm 10.
MRS. OBAMA: You're 10? Are you excited about Christmas tomorrow?
CASSIDY: Yes.
MRS. OBAMA: Can you barely stand it?
CASSIDY: No, I can't stand it.
MRS. OBAMA: It's so exciting, isn't it?
CASSIDY: Yes.
MRS. OBAMA: Well, that's one of the reasons why I like to help out here, tracking Santa, because I get excited just like you. And I want to know where Santa is whenever I can, so I'm looking at this satellite, and you know where he is right now?
CASSIDY: No.
MRS. OBAMA: He is flying over Berlin in Germany, all the way in Europe. That's all the way across the ocean. Right now, that's where he is. And there's a little blip on the screen that shows me where he is.
CASSIDY: That's so cool.
MRS. OBAMA: Yes, and do you know when he is going to make it to your house?
CASSIDY: No.
MRS. OBAMA: When you're fast asleep. That's how Santa works. Did you know that?
CASSIDY: Yes.
MRS. OBAMA: Yes, right now, he can travel so fast that he can be anywhere in the world at a moment's notice. So even though he is in Germany, right now, when you shut your eyes and you're really sound asleep, that's when he knows it's time to come to your house. So that's what you've got to do tonight. You've got to settle down and go to bed when your parents tell you to go to bed. And shut your eyes, and dream of really good things, okay?
CASSIDY: Okay.
MRS. OBAMA: All right, you're going to have a great Christmas tomorrow, okay?
CASSIDY: Okay, you, too.
MRS. OBAMA: All right, and wish your whole family a merry Christmas from me, okay?
CASSIDY: All right.
MRS. OBAMA: All right, thanks for calling, sweetie. Have fun tomorrow.
CASSIDY: You, too. Bye.
MRS. OBAMA: Bye-bye.
END
12:05 P.M. HAST
First Lady Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden sit with Major General Jim McConville during the Joining Forces initiative event with service members, military spouses, and employers at the Fort Campbell Veterans Jobs Summit and Career Forum at Fort Campbell. April 23, 2014. (Official White House Photo by Amanda Lucidon)
We’ve had an amazing year at Joining Forces. Here are some of our favorite moments!
In 2011, Mrs. Obama and Dr. Jill Biden came together to launch Joining Forces, a nationwide initiative calling all Americans to rally around service members, veterans, and their families and support them through wellness, education, and employment opportunities. Joining Forces works hand in hand with the public and private sector to ensure that service members, veterans, and their families have the tools they need to succeed throughout their lives.
This year, you can interact with the White House holiday decorations!
This year, technology is playing a big role in creating the holiday experience at the White House. One of the newest additions to the annual White House Holiday tour is an interactive digital snowscape that allows visitors to become a part of the festive display of Holiday decorations.
The interactive installation captures visitors’ movements, showing them projected on the wall as a flurry of snowflakes in a serene winter wonderland full of holiday trees, a snow-covered ground, and snowflakes. As visitors enter the East Wing of the White House and walk through Book Sellers, they can quickly recognize their own outline in the scene projected on the wall. The shapes that the display captures then drive several types of immersive interactive displays, where participants manipulate the images just by moving their hands and bodies. The more a visitor moves, the more sparkly effects in the snow will appear, encouraging visitors to continue to interact.
2014 has been an exciting year for First Lady Michelle Obama’s Reach Higher initiative, and given that the initiative launched in May, we had a difficult time limiting our favorite moments to just five.
The initiative is the First Lady's effort to inspire every student in America to take charge of their future by completing their education past high school, whether at a professional training program, a community college, or a four-year college or university.
To kick off the Reach Higher initiative in May, the First Lady challenged everyone across the country to wear their college gear to inspire students to take charge of their future by completing some form of education beyond high school. She also participated in San Antonio’s fourth-annual College Signing Day, celebrating students' commitments to higher education.
RT if you agree with President Obama: It's time to help all our kids #ReachHigher and complete their education. pic.twitter.com/Z4OYs5BIk5
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) May 2, 2014
On Wednesday, December 17, the President and Mrs. Obama welcomed members of the American Jewish community to the White House to celebrate Hanukkah. For the second year, they hosted two receptions in the Grand Foyer of the White House. Guests represented the breadth of the Jewish community, including leaders from a wide range of local and national Jewish organizations, religious leaders representing the various Jewish denominations, state and local elected officials, Administration officials, Members of Congress, academics, musicians, authors, and other members of the Jewish community.
The receptions featured performances from Jewish college a cappella groups and the U.S. Marine Band. The food preparation occurred under the strict rabbinical supervision of Rabbi Levi Shemtov, Lubavitch Center of Washington (Chabad), in cooperation with the Rabbinical Council of Greater Washington.
First Lady Michelle Obama reads '' 'Twas the Night Before Christmas" during a Christmas holiday program at the Children's National Medical Center in Washington, D.C., Dec. 15, 2014. The First Lady is seated with Elves Aaron Irby (age 9), and Kyra DeStefano (age 10), right, and Obama family pets, Bo and Sunny. (Official White House Photo by Chuck Kennedy)
First Lady Michelle Obama visited the patients at the Children’s National Medical Center today in Washington, D.C., continuing a tradition dating back more than 60 years to First Lady Bess Truman. First Dogs Bo and Sunny joined Mrs. Obama to help spread holiday cheer to the kids and their families.
After meeting with patients and doctors in the surgical care unit and with the infectious disease team, the First Lady sat down with Santa Claus to read 'Twas the Night Before Christmas to a group of children gathered in the hospital's atrium.
CHILD: I knew it was Santa!
MRS. OBAMA: You knew it was Santa! It’s a Christmas story, who else would it be?
The White House
Office of the First Lady
Children’s National Health System
Washington, D.C.
2:23 P.M. EST
MRS. OBAMA: All right. We’re ready. I’m going to read “The Night Before Christmas.” How many people have heard this story? All right.
CHILD: Can we see the cover?
MRS. OBAMA: You want to see the cover, yes. Of course. (Laughter.) Well, this is -- sometimes the covers are different. So you may recognize the story with a different cover. It’s Santa! Everybody, let’s give Santa a big hello. (Applause.)
SANTA: Merry Christmas!
MRS. OBAMA: And let’s give Aaron and Kyra a big hello! Yay! (Applause.) All right, here we go. “The Night Before Christmas.” You ready, Bo? Okay. He’s ready. Hi, Sunny. Sunny, sit, sit down -- wait, she’s listening. All right, ready?
‘Twas the night before Christmas when all through the house not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse -- it’s very quiet at the house. What do you think is going to happen?
CHILD: At the White House?
MRS. OBAMA: Well, this is somebody else’s house, not at the White House. (Laughter.)
The stockings were hung by the chimney with care in hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there. The children were nestled all snug in their beds while visions of sugar plums danced in their heads. Have you ever had sugar plums dancing in your head?
CHILD: Yes!
MRS. OBAMA: You have? (Laughter.)
CHILD: I have!
MRS. OBAMA: She has.
And mom in her kerchief, and I in my cap had just settled our brains for a long winter’s nap. So everybody is asleep -- what do you think is going to happen? We’re going to find out! Santa Claus might come.
When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter, I sprang to the bed to see what was the matter. Away to the window I flew like a flash, tore open the shutters and threw up the sash -- oh, it’s a mystery. Who do you think is there?
CHILDREN: Santa!
MRS. OBAMA: Let’s find out. The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow gave the luster of midday to objects below. When what to my wondering eyes should appear but a miniature sleigh and eight tiny reindeer.
CHILD: I knew it was Santa!
MRS. OBAMA: You knew it was Santa! It’s a Christmas story, who else would it be? (Laughter.) With a little old driver all jolly -- lively and quick, I knew in a moment it must be St. Nick -- it was you!
SANTA: Ho, ho, ho!
MRS. OBAMA: The mystery has been uncovered! More rapid than eagles his coursers they came, and he whistled and shouted and called them by name -- say them with me. Do you know the --
CHILD: No. (Laughter.)
MRS. OBAMA: Here we go -- now, Dasher, now, Dancer, now, Prancer and Vixen, on Comet, on Cupid, on Donder and Blitzen. Who’s missing, though?
AUDIENCE MEMBER: Rudolph. What happened to Rudolph, Santa?
SANTA: He’s there.
MRS. OBAMA: He’s there, he’s there.
CHILD: -- they didn’t know --
MRS. OBAMA: They didn’t know about Rudolph then. Do you think -- was Rudolph born when -- during this story?
SANTA: Just before.
MRS. OBAMA: Just before. He was a baby. To the top of the porch, to the top of the wall, now, dash away, dash away, dash away, all! As dried leaves that -- before the wild hurricane fly when they meet with an obstacle mounts to the sky. Santa is very exciting.
So up to the house top the coursers they flew with a sleigh full of toys and St. Nicholas too. Did everybody tell Santa what they wanted for Christmas?
CHILDREN: Yes!
CHILD: I want a cat for Christmas.
MRS. OBAMA: You want a cat? (Laughter.)
CHILD: Yeah, a kitty cat.
MRS. OBAMA: Kitty cat. Okay, mom, dad, you hear that? And then in a twinkling I heard on the roof the prancing and pawing of each little hoof. As I drew in my head and was turning around, down the chimney St. Nicholas came with a bound. He was dressed all in fur from his head to his foot, and his clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot. Why do you think Santa’s clothes were dirty?
CHILD: He had to come down the chimney.
MRS. OBAMA: He went down the chimney, that’s right. A bundle of toys he had flung on his back, and he looked like a peddler just opening his pack. His eyes, how they twinkled, his dimples, how merry. His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a --
CHILDREN: Cherry!
MRS. OBAMA: Cherry, yeah. It’s kind of cherry-like, Santa. His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow, and the beard of his chin was as white as the --
AUDIENCE: Snow.
MRS. OBAMA: Snow. The stump of a pipe he held tight in his teeth, and the smoke, it encircled his head like a wreath. He had a broad face and a little round belly that shook when he laughed like a bowl full of jelly.
SANTA: Ho, ho, ho!
MRS. OBAMA: You hear that? You’ve got a really great laugh, Santa. We love your laugh.
He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf, and I laughed when I saw him in spite of myself. A wink of his eye and a twist of his head soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread. There’s no reason to be afraid of Santa, right? No. Santa --
CHILD: I’m not afraid.
MRS. OBAMA: I’m not afraid of Santa, either. Santa is a good guy. You used to be when you were little. I remember you.
CHILD: You do?
MRS. OBAMA: I remember you all. I do. He spoke not a word but went straight to his work, and filled all the stockings, then turned with a jerk. And laying his finger aside of his nose, and giving a nod, up the chimney he rose.
He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle, and away they all flew like the down of a thistle. But I heard him exclaim as he drove out of sight -- what did he say? Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night. (Applause.)
MR. LINTOTT: Well, thank you, Mrs. Obama. What a great story. Let’s give her another hand for that. That was just awesome. (Applause.) And Sunny and Bo and our helpers here -- now, I think we have some time for a few questions.
MRS. OBAMA: We do.
MR. LINTOTT: We do. Okay.
MRS. OBAMA: You field the questions, yes.
MR. LINTOTT: We’ve got some microphones out here. And I see one right over there with the orange blanket. Go ahead.
CHILD: Hi, Michelle. I’m Christina (ph), and I’m a big supporter. My question is, are Sunny and Bo allowed to walk around the entire White House, or just the residence?
MRS. OBAMA: They walk around everywhere. Every morning Dale, who’s here -- Dale is one of the head gardeners at the White House -- he comes and picks them up. And Bo is old enough that he walks off-leash, and Sunny, we still keep her on her leash because she’s still learning. But they go all over the White House. Sometimes they’ll hang out in the Oval Office. They walk through the garden. They have like a job. And then they get dropped off back home at about lunchtime, and they sleep for the rest of the day.
But they are great ambassadors. I mean, everybody who comes to the White House, they’re excited to see the President, maybe -- (laughter) -- but everybody wants to see Sunny and Bo.
CHILD: Thank you so much.
MRS. OBAMA: Thank you, babe.
MR. LINTOTT: Does everybody know which one is Sunny and which one is Bo?
CHILD: Sunny, Bo.
MRS. OBAMA: You got it.
MR. LINTOTT: Another question, right here.
CHILD: What do you want for Christmas?
MRS. OBAMA: What do I want for Christmas?
AUDIENCE MEMBER: What do you want for Christmas?
CHILD: A dog.
MRS. OBAMA: You want a dog?
CHILD: Yes!
MRS. OBAMA: Okay! (Laughter.) All right! Mom and dad, did you hear that? We got a dog, we got a kitty request. I don’t really have a long wish list for Christmas, because I pretty much have everything I need. Moms and dads, we’re not that big on Christmas. I just want everybody to be happy, and I want to sleep in. (Laughter.) That’s what I want for Christmas. I want to sleep late. Maybe I’ll get that.
MR. LINTOTT: Okay, we’ve got one right over there with the red shirt on.
CHILD: My name is Mario (ph.) My question is, what is your favorite winter activity?
MRS. OBAMA: Where are you? Oh, there you go.
CHILD: What is your favorite winter activity?
MRS. OBAMA: My favorite winter activity? I like to ski, actually. Has anybody ever been skiing? Yeah.
CHILD: I went skating.
MRS. OBAMA: You’ve been skating? I don’t know how to skate that well, but I love to ski. That’s one of my favorite things to do. You can’t skate that well either? You skate a little? Yeah, I like to ski.
CHILD: I skate.
MRS. OBAMA: Do you skate a lot? Okay.
MR. LINTOTT: We’ve got one more here, right here in front.
CHILD: Hi.
MRS. OBAMA: Hi.
CHILD: My name is Sophie (ph.)
MRS. OBAMA: Hey, Sophie. What’s going on?
CHILD: Well, I’m very happy right now. (Laughter.)
MRS. OBAMA: So am I.
CHILD: My question is, do you have Christmas pajamas? (Laughter.)
MRS. OBAMA: Do I have Christmas pajamas? I don’t. Maybe that’s what I should put on my Christmas list. Okay, Mr. President, if you’re watching, I think we could use some Christmas pajamas. (Laughter.) That’s a good idea.
MR. LINTOTT: Great idea. One more over there. He’s holding up some money.
MRS. OBAMA: You’ve got money there. It’s fake, it’s fake. Okay, I got it. It’s a lot of fake money.
CHILD: It’s real, it’s real.
MRS. OBAMA: It’s real.
CHILD: Fake, fake, fake!
MRS. OBAMA: It’s real. Okay, what’s your question, babe?
CHILD: Hi, Mrs. Obama. My question is, do Sunny and Bo open their own Christmas gifts?
MRS. OBAMA: No, actually they don’t. (Laughter.) They don’t, but they have teeth they would use, but they would eat the paper too. So we don’t let them open their own gifts. We kind of help them out.
MR. LINTOTT: Okay, one last question, right here in the blue.
CHILD: Do Sunny and Bo have stockings?
MRS. OBAMA: They do. Everybody has a stocking in our house -- Grandma, Malia, Sasha, the President, me, Sunny and Bo. But we’re not going to tell them what we’re putting in their stockings, okay? It’s a secret.
CHILD: I’ve been to your house.
MRS. OBAMA: Have you been to my house before? (Laughter.) You’ve been too? You’ve been too? You were there -- oh, that’s right! Well, you’ve seen me now. Well, I hope you guys --
CHILD: (Inaudible.)
MRS. OBAMA: You were an elf too? Was that fun? That was so much fun. You guys were great elves, you really were. Well, you guys have to come and visit the White House.
MR. LINTOTT: Well, there’s your invitation.
MRS. OBAMA: I’ve invited you. Come and visit the White House, okay?
CHILD: When? (Laughter.)
MRS. OBAMA: Whenever you have some free time, okay? You let us know.
CHILD: What time?
MRS. OBAMA: What time? Whatever time works for you. (Laughter.) Think about it. You don’t have to decide now. You’ve got to drop your kid off? (Laughter.) Got a few things to do -- well, work it out.
MR. LINTOTT: Well, Mrs. Obama, thank you for taking the time to be with us today.
MRS. OBAMA: You guys, thank you. Thank you, guys. (Applause.) You’re awesome.
END
2:37 P.M. EST
The White House
Office of the First Lady
Brookings Institute
Washington, D.C.
1:14 P.M. EST
MRS. OBAMA: Thank you. (Applause.) Thank you, everyone. Good afternoon. Thank you all. Rest yourselves. You’ve been doing a lot of wonderful work. I don’t want you to get tired giving me a round of applause. (Laughter.)
Let me first begin by apologizing; I have a cold, so if I start to choke before you, don’t worry, I’m doing just fine. (Laughter.) But it is truly a pleasure to be here with you today at Brookings. And I want to thank you so much for having me.
I want to start by, of course, thanking Strobe Talbott for that very kind introduction, but, more importantly, for his tremendous service to our country. And I also want to recognize Prime Minister Julia Gillard. It’s wonderful to see you. You are a tremendous example of breaking so many barriers for women, not just through your long career but the work that you’re doing on global education. So thank you so much for being here.
And of course, I want to thank Rebecca Winthrop for organizing this amazing group of leaders on behalf of girls around the world. And finally, I want to thank all of you for the outstanding work that you all do on global girls’ education.
Now, I know you know that in recent years, this issue has finally come into the national and international spotlight. Celebrities are tweeting about it. Major corporations are funding it. Books about girls’ education have become best-sellers. And really, all of that has happened for one simple reason, and it’s because of the passionate, relentless leaders’ efforts, your efforts, the advocates and all of the young people who are working on this issue across the globe.
Long before I ever became interested in this issue as First Lady, you all were out there doing the hard work -- running schools in remote villages on shoestring budgets, taking on maddening bureaucracies, fighting year after year to change policies and laws. And you all were doing the painstaking research to show that educating girls is one of the most powerful things that we can do not just for girls and their families, but for their communities and for their countries.
And because of the work that you are doing, as of 2012, every developing region in the world had achieved or was close to achieving gender parity in primary education. And in a little over a decade, we saw nearly 56 million more girls going to school. Now, that is a breathtaking amount of progress in a very short period of time, and you all should be incredibly proud of the work that you’ve been doing.
But, as you know, when 62 million girls are still not in school, when in some countries, fewer than 10 percent of girls complete secondary school, then we know that our work is far from finished. In fact, in many ways, it’s only just beginning. Because the truth is –- and you all know this more than anyone -– we’re now coming to a new, more -- and important and challenging phase of this work.
We are beginning to confront those “second generation” issues, especially as they apply to adolescent girls. We may have more girls in those classrooms, but now we’re stepping back and asking ourselves, are they truly learning what they need to know? Are we really doing everything we can to keep them safe? How can we ensure that they don’t just start school, but they actually stay in school through adolescence, and then transition to the workforce?
Because we all know that this critical period -– when girls develop from children into women -– is when this issue truly starts to get hard. Because adolescence is often when a girl is first subject to the cultural values and practices that define what it means to be a woman in her society. And at that point, we really can’t take on the issue of girls’ education unless we are also willing to confront all of the complex issues that keep so many girls out of school –- issues like early and forced marriage, genital cutting, beliefs about women’s sexuality and their proper role in societies, and the very real economic disincentives that keep many parents from sending their daughters to school in the first place.
Again, as you all well know, these issues can become even more complicated -- make issues that are seemingly straightforward even more complicated for these second-generation challenges.
Just take the issue of safety. On the surface, the problem seems pretty obvious -- parents are afraid that their daughters will be attacked and sexually assaulted on their way to and from and even at school. Now, this is an understandable concern, one that any parent can relate to. But in many communities, parents aren’t just worried about horrific physical and emotional harm to their daughter, they’re also thinking about the harm to her honor. They’re worried that she’ll be considered damaged goods, unmarriageable, with no one to protect or provide for her, and then her entire future will be ruined. Those are the kind of stakes that we’re dealing with on this issue.
And then there are the issues of quality and value, which are similarly complex. As you know, when deciding whether it’s worth sending their girls to school, parents aren’t just asking themselves, will this be a good experience for my daughter, they’re calculating what those school fees will mean for their family’s food budget, they’re contemplating the loss of household help that is critical to the survival of that family. So they want to see real evidence that their daughter is learning real, marketable skills –- things like literacy, numeracy, vocational skills that will help her provide for herself and, ultimately, her family.
That’s the kind of bar that we need to clear as we move forward. Because in our work to educate girls, especially adolescent girls, we’re often asking families to do what seems to be in the exact opposite of their daughters’ and their families’ best interests. Often, we’re asking them to change or disregard some of their most strongly held values and traditions.
So, yes, we need more infrastructure. We need more resources. And, yes, we need more good laws and policies -– those are absolutely the necessary building blocks for change. But we also need buy-in from those families and those communities. We need parents to actually believe that their daughters are as worthy of an education as their sons, and that sending girls to school is a good investment for their future.
And that might take some real effort on the ground to actually understand people’s concerns, to gain their trust, to determine what resources they need to make the sacrifice of educating their daughters.
So what we’re talking about are the hard things like countless conversations, community meetings. We're talking about hundreds of hours spent training and empowering local leaders on the ground. And we’re also talking about a shift in our own thinking so that we see families and communities less as a barrier to girls’ education, and more as the source of the solution.
But if we really are going to be honest with ourselves –- and I’ve heard this from many of you -– while we often talk about the importance of community mobilization and local leadership, that’s not always the focus of our work.
And there are good reasons for this. When you think about it, the truth is, it’s risky. When you’re new to a community, it’s often hard to know who to work with. And then once you find the right leaders and the partners, you might not always see eye to eye on how to move forward.
And then you’ve got donor expectations -- they want a certain return on their investment, or you’ve got a reputation to uphold for your organization. So all this makes it not always so easy to go out on a limb and try something new.
Mobilizing communities and empowering local leaders can also be very resource-intensive. It requires staff on the ground who are willing to lead from the side and take their cues from local folks. So you need a lot of patience to work through misunderstandings and miscommunications. And you need even more flexibility around deadlines and timelines.
Now, this might not always feel like the most efficient approach, but every day, across the globe, so many of you are proving that programs that are developed and led by communities themselves can actually really transform girls’ lives.
For example, there’s a Population Council program in Ethiopia that convenes community conversations about the impact of child marriage and provides families with financial incentives to delay marriage. And at the end of this program, girls were three times more likely to be in school. They were 90 percent less likely to be married.
Some other wonderful examples -- a program -- organization called TOSTAN. TOSTAN brings together communities in Africa to assess barriers to girls’ education and other issues. And they work to develop their own plan of action, a plan that meets their needs and is in accordance with their values. As a result of this program, 7,000 communities have publicly announced that they are abandoning child-forced marriage and female genital cutting.
And finally, back in 1995, there was a group of Peace Corps volunteers in Romania who came together with Romanian teachers to create GLOW camps for girls -- GLOW stands for Girls Leading Our World. And the camp focused on leadership and career and life-planning. And today, just 20 years later, there are GLOW camps in more than 60 countries, and last year alone they reached 30,000 young people.
Now, we're fortunate that in a few minutes we're going to be hearing more about the Peace Corps’ work on this issue from a panel moderated by Glamour Magazine’s Cindi Leive. But these are just some of the wonderful examples of what works.
But of course, for all of the successes like these, there are plenty of failures as well. But here’s the thing -- as I tell many young people, that’s okay. Failure is good. In fact, failure is necessary because we’re all in new territory here, especially when it comes to adolescent girls. And we’re still figuring out what works and what doesn’t work.
So we need leaders like all of you out there experimenting and innovating. We need you out there conducting rigorous evaluations and learning not just from your triumphs, but from your mistakes. Now isn’t the time to be hesitant or risk-averse. Because as you know, so many girls across the globe are counting on us to be bold and creative and to give them all of the opportunities they deserve to fulfill their promise.
And right now I’m thinking about one of those girls in particular who I met a few months ago, a young woman named Mireille Muhigwa from the Democratic Republic of Congo. When Mireille was just around nine years old, rebel forces entered her community and attacked her neighbors, murdering seven children and their father. Mireille’s family was spared. But on that day, she vowed that she would do everything in her power to finish school and fight for human rights for girls’ education.
Over the years, Mireille watched many of her friends and classmates attacked, gunned down, raped. But she kept on studying. And she finished college last year, the only woman in her class to graduate with honors. Mireille came to Washington earlier this year as part of our Young African Leaders initiative, and she addressed the spouses of the Africa Leaders Summit. In her remarks, she said, simply -- and this is a quote from her -- she said, “Today, I ask you to join me without any fear, because,” she said, “fear is the little death.” She said, “This day I ask the girls all over the world to take out the fear, and to take up the pens and books.”
So here’s what I think -- if Mireille could sustain her dreams amidst unspeakable violence, then surely we can sustain our focus on the fight for girls like her across the globe. If girls like Mireille can walk miles each day to reach their classrooms, and stay up for hours each night studying like their lives depended on it; if they can risk their lives just to go to school, like Malala did; if they can stand strong against all the voices that tell them they are undeserving of an education, then surely we can find a way to provide that education. We must. Surely we can give them a future worthy of their promise.
Because in the end, when it’s all said and done, our challenges in doing that are nothing compared to the challenges these girls face. And if we can show just a fraction of their passion and courage and determination, then I’m confident that we can give all our girls the education they deserve.
That's why I’m here. Because all of you are already well on your way in this work, and it’s wonderful. And I have learned so much from all of you, and I hope to learn more. I am inspired by you. Because of you, I am here. And I want you all to know that I am committed to this issue. I’m in. (Applause.) Yes, thank you.
So clearly, we have a lot of work to do. But in the coming months and years, I’m going to be rolling up my sleeves. I’m going to be using my voice, my platform as First Lady to support your work and lift up this issue however I can, however many of you find fit for me to fit in.
So this is just the beginning of our conversation. This is just the beginning of our work together. And I truly look forward to continued collaboration, continued inspiration and continued action in the next months and years ahead.
So thank you all so much and good luck with the rest of today. And I look forward to seeing you soon. (Applause.)
END
1:30 P.M. EST
