Isha Sesay
A presenter and correspondent for CNN International. She travelled with Michelle Obama in Liberia and Morocco last year for the making of the CNN documentary We Will Rise: Michelle Obama’s Mission to Educate Girls Around the World
It will be a strange and sad moment for me, a woman of colour, when Michelle Obama leaves the White House. To lose the imagery of a black first family and all that Michelle Obama has bought to the table, all she has actively and routinely worked for. I’ve been in the States now for 11 years now but every time they stepped out as the first family it got me. It never lost its potency. She is such an active and participatory first lady. No one knows what kind of first lady Melania Trump will be. No one is saying she won’t carve her own path, but Michelle Obama was very special.
I first met her in 2014 when I was invited to the White House to attend a formal dinner for a US/Africa summit. All the heads of state from Africa came to DC along with their first ladies and I was asked to moderate a panel for Mrs Obama and Mrs Bush at the Kennedy Centre. Later an invite came to the formal dinner, which was thrilling. At the White House you wait in line to be introduced and when I got to Mrs Obama she said “I almost wore that same dress tonight!” And I say “No!” and she says “Yes!” and she gave me the biggest hug. She was just amazing, very tall, very warm, she just scooped me up into this big hug the very first time I met her.
The Obamas celebrate people of colour, they want to include them. Both she and the president are skilled at knowing what they can achieve by aligning themselves with other successful people of colour, how it amplifies the message of what is possible. I think they almost do it as a public service. They understand that every time they have Beyoncé with them, or John Legend or Jay Z, the message goes further and it opens the minds of kids in the inner cities to the possibilities and I think that’s smart.
CNN discussed various projects with the White House and then settled on the first lady going to Africa, for her last overseas trip. [In the documentary Michelle Obama, along with Sesay and actors Freida Pinto and Meryl Streep, meets and speaks with young north African women who describe their struggles to get an education.] I got an email asking how I would feel about travelling to Africa with the first lady and practically had to pick myself up off the floor.
When we were in Liberia I kept watching how she was trying to connect with the girls who spoke, really watching them and willing them on as they struggled in some cases. It was very moving because she really wanted them to feel safe and able to share. Before we arrived I asked the White House about the protocol for the girls who would meet her. How should they address her? Could they touch her?’ I was able to tell them that from the White House point of view, once you’re in the bubble so to speak [through security], once you are in the room with her, you’re good. So the girls could touch her, refer to her freely, there were no restrictions placed on interactions with her at all.
We went to hear her talk at the Peace Corps [the US government’s volunteer programme] in Monrovia and she just walked into that space and practically blew the roof off with her energy levels. I will say, and I’m 41, that whenever I’m with her and I listen to her speak you walk out and you are charged by being in her presence, by hearing her words of motivation. It’s not just the words she utters, it’s her conviction and it’s her life story that backs them up. In Morocco I saw how willing she was to share her own insecurities, her own challenges with the girls. She said to them: “We’re all girls here together. We’re all going to share.” How many first ladies in the world can you imagine just busting in and saying: “This is girl-talk time”? And it resonates authentically. I think maybe that’s the difference. Other people say it but she means it.
I last saw her for a special screening of the film at the White House. She was really mischievous. I told her that in Morocco I had been in the souk late at night and as I was wandering around a guy asked me: “Are you an Obama?’ and I looked left and I looked right and I said: “Yes, I am!” and she roared with laughter. And then she walked into the east room and was doing her intro for everyone, welcoming Meryl Streep and Andra Day who did the song [Rise Up] and then it got to me and she said: “And by the way, Isha here has been passing herself off as...” I almost died.
I am not surprised by her popularity at all. Not now that I’ve met her on a couple of occasions. I understand it and I think if more people had the opportunity to spend one-on-one time with her there would be more people clamouring for her to run, because she is that amazing. I mean when she gave that speech during campaigning, when she just laid out her heart and said how offended she was by the Trump video, and the speech she gave during the conventions. I think those speeches really elevated her. I wouldn’t want her to stand though. I think she’ll be far more effective outside the machinery of government. Look at what Hillary Clinton went through and the double standards that were forced upon her. Now imagine what would happen to a black woman – the intersection between gender and race is just a whole other ballgame.
I asked her while we were working in Liberia: “What will your post-White House years look like?” and she said: “This.” This is what she’s committed to doing – lifting up girls and ripping off the roof and removing all the limitations girls feel and others impose on them and expanding their horizons. I hope that’s what she’s able to do. It’s what she’s good at and she can make such a difference.
Isha Sesay is the founder of WE Can Lead, a non-profit organisation working in Sierra Leone to educate and empower girls.
Tamanna Islam
A 15-year-old student at Mulberry school in east London. After visiting the school in June 2015, Michelle Obama later invited a group of students, including Tamanna, to the White House in November that year
Before she came, there was such a buzz. I was in the main school hall with 300 other students. Everyone was quiet, everyone eagerly awaiting her arrival. When she walked on to the stage, we jumped to our feet – clapping, shouting, crying. She brought this incredible vibe and the atmosphere was just electric.
Throughout her speech she made eye contact with everyone, and gave these little smiles. It made it feel so personal, like she was just talking to you. And then, at the end, she hugged every pupil in the front row, including me! She pulled me close, looked me in the eye and told me: “I’m so proud of you.”
I was one of the 20 students selected by my teachers to travel to the White House in Washington DC. When we met her again, she recollected every single detail from her visit: how special it was to see us waving the American flag, how moved she was by our performance of Still I Rise [the Maya Angelou poem]. It was nerve-racking going through all of the security, but once we were inside, Michelle made us feel like we were visiting a friend. In addition to meeting her, we were introduced to lots of senior women working at the White House, such as in the justice and crime department. It was so inspiring and enlightening to see so many women and people from ethnic-minority backgrounds in positions of power.
Michelle Obama understands what it is like to be a young Muslim woman in Tower Hamlets. “Your story is my story,” she told our school. Growing up in a working-class environment in Chicago, she faced her own sort of unfairness, but she worked hard and showed the world that she could do anything. And if girls like us can raise our aspirations, it shows the rest of Britain, the rest of the world, that we can do anything.
Since meeting her, I’ve started to seek out what I can do to make a positive change in my community. She taught me I have a responsibility to use my voice to break down negative stereotypes of Muslim women, and make change for the next generation after that. Her charisma, her energy – it makes you feel like you can take on the entire world.
Dr Vanessa Ogden
Headteacher, Mulberry school
We had been approached by the American embassy a couple of months prior about the possibility of helping to launch a project on girls and education, but had no idea that Michelle Obama was involved in any way. Over about a two-month period, it became apparent that we were one of the top two institutions they were looking at – and I still had no idea who was fronting the launch. We eventually found out about the visit in May 2015, and had just three weeks to get ready for her arrival in June! I learned a lot in those weeks about how to manage high-level security. One of my favourite, and most surreal, moments was standing in a school conference room, debating with special ops and secret service officers about how to manage the security in a working school environment. Of course I was nervous – I had a responsibility to make things as good as they could be, and it was a very high-adrenaline time. But more than anything I just felt hugely appreciative, so grateful for what this could bring to the school.
For me, the most important aspect of the first lady’s visit was making sure that every girl at Mulberry should have some kind of interaction with her, whether it was watching her speech, presenting gifts or performing a song. The whole thing, from start to finish, was for the girls. It wasn’t about Mrs Obama, it wasn’t about the other important people there, it was absolutely for the girls.
That’s the thing about the first lady – she has no ego. These visits for her are completely non-hierarchical. They’re about the person she’s meeting, the people she’s addressing. She connects with people because of who they are – not because of who she is.
For example: one of the things that made the planning so complex was that we arranged to live-stream Michelle’s speech into the sports hall, so that every girl who couldn’t fit in the main hall could experience it at the same time. It was Michelle’s idea to go and surprise all the girls gathered in the sports hall at the end of the speech. That’s what makes her so special – she thinks so carefully and prepares so well for each visit. They had no idea she was coming, and when they saw her, they went absolutely wild.
We visited the White House in November, as part of a 10-day cultural trip to the US. Students underwent a rigorous selection process to take part, which involved attending an after-school civil rights programme, a written application, making a speech in front of a panel of teachers and finally being interviewed by myself and the governors.
After a tour of the west wing and a cuddle (and a selfie) with Bo [the Obamas’ pet dog], the girls sat down and asked Michelle questions, all of them quite serious. At the end, Michelle leaned forward and said, eye’s glittering: “Now come on. Let’s talk about the things you want to know.” For 15 minutes the girls and Mrs Obama chatted on a personal level, as girls and women do every day. I’m afraid we made a pact to keep our discussion secret, so I can’t reveal if Barack Obama does the chores.
Myesha Haque
A 17-year-old student and aspiring lawyer, who hosted the first lady when she visited Mulberry school
I couldn’t believe she was there at first. I had to keep blinking and blinking. Out of all the schools in the UK, all the schools in London, she chose to come to Mulberry, our school! As deputy head prefect, I had been given the responsibility to host the first lady. Because of this, I found out about her visit earlier than any of the other students, which was so hard to keep secret. After taking photos next to the American flag, we began our tour of the school. Even just walking beside her, I was star-struck by her charisma and charm.
Walking into the main Mulberry courtyard with her was an absolutely awe-inspiring moment. The flags were waving, there was cheering, there was clapping. Four hundred students all trying to get a glimpse of her. As she met people, her eyes lit up. Her face, her body language was so uplifting – you could just see how happy she was.
We walked on to our Year 9 project area, where our choir, conducted by a Year 9 pupil, sang ‘Something Inside So Strong’ and another student read the poem ‘Still I Rise’ by Maya Angelou. While the girls were performing the First Lady hugged me to her side and murmured to me, “I cannot believe this. This is amazing.” I was nervous, but that warmth really comforted me. She felt like a friend, even though she’s in high power. That hug was an experience I’ll never forget, one I’ll cherish for a lifetime.
Her story, of growing up in a working-class environment in Chicago, has made me realise I can all overcome all barriers and challenges in my life, that I can achieve anything. We’ve been inspired as Mulberry students to carry on her Let Girls Learn campaign, even after she stops being first lady. Mulberry and Michelle – we’re besties now. We’re linked for life.
Ronald Ligon
A 19-year-old graduate of Harper high school, Chicago, and a member of the US military. He met Michelle Obama when she visited his school in April 2013, and was invited to the White House in June that year
All I said was that my favourite food was french fries. But that was enough to make her face split into a big smile and laugh: “That’s my favourite too!” She got up and hugged me just because I get the same satisfaction from french fries. It was too funny. I just felt like awh, oh my God, this is wonderful.
The first lady came to my school nearly four years ago. She sat down with a group of about 20 of us and asked us questions about our lives, about what it’s like to grow up in the south side [of Chicago]. For someone that has so much power, she cancelled all of that out. She told us to relax, slouch if we wanted to, make ourselves at home. “I’m a regular person trying to make a change, just like you are,” she said. We didn’t have to use big words or act proper to get through to her, we could just be ourselves.
For about three hours we talked to her about the violence in our communities. She wasn’t surprised – she grew up in Englewood [Chicago] and lived through a bunch of shootings around her house – but she was hurt that we have to go through it every single day.
Honestly, If I hadn’t met Michelle Obama, I might not be where I am today. Pretty much two weeks after I returned after visiting the first lady in the White House, my family got into a big fight with other people in my community. We ended up losing our home, and for about four to five months we were homeless. The first couple of months I was really low. I didn’t want to go to school, I didn’t want to do anything. I had no hope.
But then one day I came back to find my mom on the couch crying, saying that she couldn’t provide for us, that she had failed our family. It hurt so bad to see her so sad. I remembered, then, how Michelle had told me that no matter what hardships you have, there’s always a strong possibility you can overcome them. Looking at my mom sitting there crying, I decided to step up. I got back into school and I got a job working eight hours a day, seven days a week. I got enough money to fix things for my mom and get the house we’re living in now. I graduated from school and I enrolled in the military. I got back on track because of the first lady’s words, because of the honesty and trust that she put in me. I try not to remind myself too much about those times, but whenever I’m in a deep situation I always look back on that moment.
I’m still not over how Donald Trump won and how we’re going to lose both the first lady and Barack Obama as well. I’m so happy I got to meet her in person, twice, but I’m really going to miss them.
Fouzya Toukart
She met Michelle Obama in Morocco in June 2016 as part of her Let Girls Learn initiative and the CNN film We Will Rise
I’m the first girl in the family to get a baccalaureate and the first girl in the village to get a BA. I come from an illiterate family: my parents are farmers in the village, they are poor people. Getting an education was like a war for me – it felt like everyone was against me. The mentalities in my village are all the same: girls have to marry and have kids and stay home and cook, like machines, and that’s it.
In primary school I was top of my class but my family decided I would not go to secondary school. It was really hard for me, but I went on a hunger strike when I was 12 and I convinced them to let me go. The secondary school was very far, seven kilometres each way, and I was the only girl. In the beginning my parents were not convinced, but after I kept getting the highest grades, I could see in their faces that they were satisfied and proud. I got a BA in English in Marrakesh, and my goal is to get a doctorate and be a translator and linguist – I speak Amazigh, Arabic, French, English and Japanese.
I met Michelle Obama in Marrakech in June, just when I was doing my final exam, and meeting her was like a push for continuing. The thing I remember most is that she saw me and said: “Yes, I read a lot about you and I remember you” – that was really awesome. I also met Meryl Streep and Freida Pinto, and they were very kind-hearted and friendly too. Later I had a week in Washington DC – it was my first time flying anywhere – and met Michelle Obama again there. They say Washington gets busy and loud, but it was super fun.
Michelle Obama has helped so many people, and she’s always been the person who fights for something which is very good for our society. With education we’re going to find solutions for so many problems in life. My message for all the girls around the world who don’t have the opportunity to go and study, I just want to tell them that if I can do it, they can do it too, whatever the boundaries they can be overcome.
Cindy Sanders
A counsellor at King college prep in Chicago. Fifteen‑year-old schoolgirl Hadiya Pendleton, who attended King, was shot and killed in 2013
I met Michelle Obama during Hadiya’s funeral. She felt compelled to come to Chicago and pay her respects to Cleopatra and Nate [Pendleton, Hadiya’s parents], not necessarily as the first lady but as a mom, to support another mother who had lost her child. It was very moving that she would put all of her stuff on hold for the funeral. Two years later she spoke at the graduation of the class that Hadiya would have graduated in. It was a bittersweet graduation because of this, but everybody was excited, because we’ve never had a speaker of this calibre. The students will remember that for ever, that Michelle Obama was the graduation speaker for their class. She talked about how she came from just this community, and how the students have so many options, and that anything is possible with an education. We all got to take photos with her and talk to her. She congratulated us, and thanked us for doing a great job with the students.
Having a first lady from the south side of Chicago means everything. She’s like the people’s first lady, and she’s definitely Chicago’s first lady. She was very personable: she was giving hugs, she was giving motivation. And not just surface motivation; it was because she had been in a Chicago public school. And to see what she accomplished, having a similar background and a similar upbringing – it was powerful. It’s very inspiring to see that with hard work and determination you can be anything.
In Chicago the whole issue of gun control is so polarised: people are getting killed by guns, and we need to do something about this. We don’t want parents losing their teenage children. I have a teenager too in the city of Chicago and so we definitely need to speak up on that. And when you have the first lady championing causes it definitely puts some weight with it.
I’ll miss her being in that office, but the good thing is she’s still going to champion those causes – she’s still going to care about helping children reach higher, and having counsellors support them. She’s tough but she’s also down to earth. And we’ll miss her putting on her jeans and being on Ellen and challenging her to dance-offs.
Kyra Caldwell
A 19-year-old former student at King college prep and friend of Hadiya Pendleton
When my friend Hadiya passed, Michelle Obama ended up coming to the funeral. They had a few people in a separate room before the funeral started, and she came in went around and shook our hands. I was with a friend and we were so nervous – we were about to shake hands with Michelle Obama, the first African American to be first lady in the White House. She came over and gave us both hugs, and gave us words of encouragement. The fact that she hugged me was just crazy to me. Usually you’d think people who are famous would act fake, but she was the complete opposite – when I spoke to her it was very calm and normal, very natural. She also came to speak at our graduation and gave a really motivational speech, which was really exciting.
Our school had done this FAFSA challenge [a video for the Free Application for Federal Student Aid]: it was Scandal-themed [after the US TV political drama series] and we sent it in to Michelle Obama. She then sent it to the cast of Scandal and got them to make a video telling us how good our video was. So you had [characters] Olivia Pope and Huck and Abby saying we did a good FAFSA challenge – that’s something I’ll always remember.
It’s very reassuring that she’s another woman of colour from the south side of Chicago. I feel like once you’re born and raised here you always have a connection to it, wherever you go. She went to the same high school as my mother, so it makes it seem more real: anybody can go anywhere, no matter where you’re from. I also attended Tuskegee University in Alabama, and I found out that she had also spoken at a graduation there, so I was thinking: “Is this a sign that I’m going to be the first lady next time?”
When I think of Michelle Obama, “reassuring” is the word I think of. She’s brilliant – she went to two Ivy League schools [Princeton and Harvard Law School] and has done all these great things. It’s definitely something to look up to. I’m now studying occupational therapy, and after this the plan is to go to a really good physical therapy school so I can get my doctorate. Michelle said we can do anything, so I believe it.
