FLOTUS Michelle Obama: Not Interested in The Presidency for Daughters' Sakes
At the recent South by Southwest (SXSW) 2016 in Austin, Texas, the First Lady of the United States (FLOTUS), Michelle Obama, kicked off the Music festival by delivering a keynote touching on the White House initiative "Let Girls Learn." After her address, a Q&A followed where she and the panel with her were asked wide-ranging questions on their pivotal moments in life, their music favorites, and, Obama specifically, if she would run for president. The First Lady was quick to respond that she was not planning on following in Hillary Clinton's footsteps.
Her keynote focused on her initiative that seeks to empower more women by ensuring 62 million girls around the world can go to school and finish secondary education. The discussion by the First Lady was motivational in nature, a call for action to support the cause. The project is funded by iTunes sales of a new song, "This Is For My Girls," an anthem performed by a number of female singers and written by Diane Warren, who was with the FLOTUS for the occasion.
The panel was joined by three other women, Queen Latifah, who acted as moderator; the actress, Sophia Bush; and Academy-Award-winning hip-hop artist Missy Elliot, who had been one of the performers of the anthem for the education initiative.
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The segment and discussion first touched on Obama's pivotal moment that changed her way of thinking which had been her childhood and how it was to grow up a black girl in the South Side of Chicago. She shared that, growing up, there were always people telling her what she could not do. So she lived her life trying to prove those people wrong. But then she said there were others who do not respond in the same way she did, and their dreams are extinguished.
The First Lady also talked of her love for Stevie Wonder, and there were times she would burst into song.
It was when they were dep into the Q&A that she was asked whether she would pursue candidacy as president. She had said she would not and cited her reasons for her decision, Malia and Sasha, her daughters.
"No, no not going to do it. One of the reasons why is that I've got these two young people at home. Being the kids, the daughters of a president, just think about it … They've handled it with grace and with poise, but enough is enough."
She believes there are many ways to impact the world without having to be president of the United States. Obama shared that she would continue her work with young people, pointing out that, once her time in the White House ended, she would be better able to do it without being hampered by politics. This was what she wanted to do, but not as president.
"I will not run for president."
