Michelle Obama Emotional While Remembering Slain Chicago Teen
Michelle Obama recently returned to her hometown in Chicago where she spoke about gun control while mourning Hadiya Pendleton, the teenager who was slain after performing at the presidential inauguration.
Mrs. Obama, the First Lady of the United States of America, became emotional when speaking about Pendleton, 15, who was fatally shot one week after performing at President Barack Obama's inauguration events. The First Lady compared her own life to that of Pendleton.
"What I realized was that Hadiya's family was just like my family. Hadiya Pendleton was me, and I was her," Mrs. Obama said, according to ABC News Reports. "But I got to grow up and go to Princeton and Harvard Law School and have a career and a family and the most blessed life I could ever imagine."
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Despite Mrs. Obama's good fortune, she could not forget to mention how Pendleton's life was cut short.
"And Hadiya, well we know that story," she continued. "She went to a park with some friends and got shot in the back."
The first lady recalled attending Pendleton's funeral and how hard it was to speak to a room full of teenagers about their slain friends.
"I started by telling them that Hadiya was clearly on her way to doing something truly worthy with her life," Mrs. Obama recalled. "I told them that there is a reason that we're here on this earth, that each of us has a mission in this world, and I urged them to use their lives to give meaning to Hadiya's life."
Mrs. Obama's speech took place at a luncheon fundraiser looking to begin a new initiative that will reduce youth violence in Chicago.
The office of Chicago's mayor also released a statement about the importance of Mrs. Obama's visit last month.
"The greatest thing we can do as a city is give our children the support they need to build a successful life," Emanuel said in an ABC News report. "We are honored to have the First Lady's support in this effort. I will work tirelessly to provide safe alternatives that reduce the risk of our kids getting involved with drugs, gangs, and violence."
