Michelle Obama News: Former U.S. First Lady Talks About Rising Above Racist Remarks to Empower Women During Denver Speech
Former U.S. First Lady Michelle Obama has made her first public appearance since leaving the White House at the Women's Foundation of Colorado's 30th-anniversary celebration, which took place Tuesday night at the Pepsi Center.
During the event, Obama engaged in a conversation with Lauren Casteel, the President and CEO of The Women's Foundation of Colorado (WFCO), on stage.
She commented that Obama broke a glass ceiling when she became the first ever black First Lady of America, and then, went on to ask which of the shards of the falling glass had cut her the deepest.
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"The shards that cut me the deepest were the ones that intended to cut," Obama answered, as reported by Denver Post. The use of video cameras was prohibited during the speech, but the publication has confirmed the remarks made by the former First Lady.
She also added, "Knowing that after eight years of working really hard for this country, there are still people who won't see me for what I am because of my skin color."
The former First Lady also revealed that she did not want to pretend that the racist attacks she endured while her husband, Barack Obama, was in office did not affect her because it would easily let the attackers get away with their actions.
She then went on to say that as a female, she knows that women, in general, live with "cuts" and continue to bleed every day, without even noticing it. However, she reminded the audience, which was made up of mostly females, to not be afraid and to "own their scars."
Obama also talked about a wide range of topics, such as education, family, and even the current politics. However, she once again expressed that she does not have plans to run for office, which disappointed many in the audience.
The WFCO anniversary gathering reportedly gathered over 8,000 attendees. According to CNN, one of them, Mattye Crowley, said that Obama is a "rarity on today's society," adding that she has remained true to herself despite her every move being criticized by people for many years.
Currently, the Obamas are working on a memoir, which is expected to be released next year.
