The beautiful thing about being First Lady is that I have the privilege of meeting folks
from different backgrounds and hearing what's going on in their lives. Know that when
our men and women in uniform are called to serve, their families serve right alongside
them.
We are trying to end the epidemic of childhood obesity in a generation.
When the world is swirling around you and
you're faced with tough challenges, if your family is good, you're good.
If any family in this country struggles, then
we cannot be fully content with our own family's good fortune. Because that is not what we
do in this country. That is not who we are. That is not who we are.
[CRAIG ROBINSON]
Our house growing up was extremely modest.
I remember our bedroom being formerly the living room that my parents had divided using
paneling.
[MICHELLE OBAMA]
It basically carved the room out into two small rooms that were small enough for twin
bedroom and a desk. A special treat was that we could sleep out on the back porch
when things got hot.
[MARIAN ROBINSON]
As far as where we lived, that just wasn't an issue. I was raised to have fun where we
were with what we had. And it seemed like it was ok.
[CRAIG ROBINSON]
Neither one of our parents went to college.
But with a lot of love, a lot of caring, we were afforded an opportunity to go to college.
[MARIAN ROBINSON]
We didn't say, you should be a lawyer or
you should be a schoolteacher. It was, you should get an education.
[CRAIG ROBINSON]
We had to take out student loans in order
to pay for those.
[MICHELLE OBAMA]
I know now how much my father had to work and struggle because he had to take out loans
to cover his portion of our tuition.
[BARACK OBAMA]
He understood his responsibilities, that despite this hardship, despite his challenges, he
was going to be there for his kids. Always, no matter what.
[MARIAN ROBINSON]
My husband did not feel like MS was a battle.
He would bounce out of bed and almost sing his way out of the door to work on crutches.
And that would sort of wake me up. And I'm sure it did the same thing for the kids.
[MICHELLE OBAMA]
We did a lot of laughing in our household
and all of that happened in those few little rooms.
[ANNOUNCER]
Michelle Obama, now stepping into America's
most traditional role. The full-time, non-paying multi-dimensional job of First Lady.
[VALERIE JARRETT]
Part of what makes her extraordinary is that
she has been able to continue to be down to earth even as the First Lady. I mean, she's
just Michelle.
[JILL BIDEN]
Our friendship developed I think because we both have an interest in military families.
When I met Michelle, she said, "what do you think would be the issue that you're
most interested in?" And I said "military families."
[MICHELLE OBAMA]
And I said to Jill, I said, "that's what
I'd like to do." And that's where it all began.
[VETERAN]
I've done three tours. It's meant a
lot to our family during some difficult times, just to know that there are folks in the white
house rowing in the same direction with us.
[JILL BIDEN]
Whether it be helping homeless veterans through employment, trying to incorporate the military
culture into the school systems, it's helping spouses find jobs, it's all come together.
[LISA MARIE FAMILO]
She genuinely seems to care and want to know
what military families are going through so she can make changes on a national level.
[MICHELLE OBAMA]
You all don't even ask for much. You know.
It's like, so we should be able to step up in whatever way we can.
One percent of the country is serving to protect
the freedoms of the other 99 percent of us. So my view is that there is a lot more that
we can be doing for them to make that service and sacrifice a little easier.
[VALERIE JARRETT]
Oh, she's so good with young people. And
she sees herself in them. She treats the young children just the way she treats her
own kids. And so they look at her as their mom because she is a mom.
[CRAIG ROBINSON]
It's a natural for me to see her getting
the nation's kids out there exercising and moving around.
[MICHELLE OBAMA]
The best way to take care of yourself is to
own your health. To eat better, to exercise more.
[KAREN DUNCAN]
It's about the whole child. It's about
understanding how a child develops and how we can best put a child in a position to be
successful.
[VALERIE JARRETT]
And she wanted it to be fun. To come up with "Let's Move", it has such a great
name. Let's Move. That's something we do together.
[KAREN DUNCAN]
She is a strong woman. Physically, we all
saw poor Jimmy Fallon.
[ELLEN DEGENERES]
I just want to know if you can do more pushups than I can do.
And I thought it wouldn't be good to show
up the first lady, so I stopped.
[KAREN DUNCAN]
I've seen a lead by example, a get-right-into-it, a pull-up-your-sleeves, hula-hooping, jump-roping
First Lady. And I think, that's what we need.
[DAVID LETTERMAN]
Hello, Mrs. Obama.
[MICHELLE OBAMA]
Hey, Dave.
[DAVID LETTERMAN]
And the number one fun fact about gardening...
[MICHELLE OBAMA]
...With enough care and effort, you can grow
your own, Barack-oli!
[DAVID LETTERMAN]
Wow, look at this!
[KIDS]
We harvested some healthy food. A lot of carrots, peas, fruits. She encouraged us
to exercise more and to eat healthier. You really are a wonderful woman. I think you're
the perfect wife for Obama.
[BARACK OBAMA]
I am Barack Obama, and this is my wife Michelle.
[MICHELLE OBAMA]
Hey. I'm his date.
[VALERIE JARRETT]
Family is everything. I think there's nothing more important to her than her children,
her marriage, and her mom. And making sure that all works well together.
[KAREN DUNCAN]
She was very clear. Mom-in-chief. I heard
it, you heard it. She came in with a very clear, "we're going to make sure our kids
are ok."
[BARACK OBAMA]
I think every parent thinks kids are fabulous. And remarkable. And special. And my kids
are fabulous, and remarkable, and special. And the reason they are is because of Michelle.
I always say that in our household, she's the conductor and I'm second fiddle.
[MICHELLE OBAMA]
You know, Barack always gives me so much credit
for who our girls have become. But let me tell you, our girls wouldn't be who they
are without a man in their life who loved them deeply.
[BARACK OBAMA]
What I love about my wife more than anything
is she knows what's important. She knows that the best, and most important legacy of
anybody's life is making sure that your kids turn out all right. They have good values.
They're kind, they're caring. And what's very gratifying to me is that I know that
the girls at this point are going to be fine because they have the best mom in the world.