WE'RE HERE WITH FIRST LADY MICHELLE OBAMA.
THE CAMPAIGN IS GOING ON RIGHT NOW.
WE'VE GOT THE TWO CANDIDATES OUT THERE WHO HAVE THEIR OWN AGENDAS
AND THEIR SPOUSES HAVE TO SORT OF GO ALONG WITH WHATEVER THIS
PERSON IS DOING.
DO YOU HAVE ANY SYMPATHY FOR THE PEOPLE WHO HAVE TO GO THERE AND
STAND BY THE PERSON RUNNING FOR PRESIDENT?
>> UH, NO, NOT REALLY.
>> Stephen: NO?
>> NO, BECAUSE IF-- YOU KNOW, YOU HAVE TO BE, YOU KNOW, IN IT.
IF YOU'RE IN IT, AND IF YOU DON'T AGREE, YOU SHOULD HAVE
AGREED BEFORE THEY RAN, YOU KNOW.
BOTTOM LINE IS, IF YOU DIDN'T AGREE WITH WHAT BARACK WAS
SAYING, I WOULD NOT SUPPORT HIS RUN.
SO I STAND THERE PROUDLY, AND I HOPE THEY ARE, TOO, STANDING
WITH THEIR SPOUSES PROUDLY.
SO NO SYMPATHY.
>> Stephen: BUT THE THINGS THEY HAVE TO GO THROUGH.
FOR INSTANCE, MELANIA TRUMP WAS CRITICIZED FOR USING WHAT TURNED
OUT TO BE A PORTION OF YOUR SPEECH.
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) BUT DO YOU HAVE ANY SYMPATHY,
BECAUSE THERE ARE PEOPLE AROUND HER CREATING THINGS.
AND, YOU KNOW, I HAVE SOME SYMPATHY FOR HER.
COW UNDERSTAND HOW THAT MIGHT BE SYMPATHETIC FOR WHAT HAPPENED TO
HER?
YEAH, THAT WAS TOUGH.
( LAUGHTER ) ( APPLAUSE )
>> Stephen: LET'S MOVE ON.
LET'S MOVE ON.
ALL RIGHT.
LET'S TALK ABOUT "LET GIRLS LEARN."
SO 62 MILLION YOUNG WOMEN AROUND THE WORLD DO NOT HAVE ACCESS TO
QUALITY EDUCATION.
WHAT IS "LET GIRLS LEARN" DOING TO TRY TO IMPROVE THAT
SITUATION?
BECAUSE THAT'S A HUGE PROBLEM.
>> IT'S HUGE.
PART OF IT IS BRINGING AWARENESS TO THE ISSUE.
NOT JUST INTERNATIONALLY, BUT HERE AT HOME AS WELL.
AND WE'VE DONE A LOT IN A YEAR AND A HALF TO GALVANIZE
RESOURCES, EXPERTISE.
UNITED STATES HAS INVESTED MILLIONS OF ADDITIONAL RESOURCE.
WE'VE PARTNERED WITH JAPAN AND THE U.K. TO INCREASE INVESTMENTS
IN GIRLS' EDUCATION.
THE THE THE WORLD BANK GROUP IS INVESTING OVER $1 BILLION IN
GIRLS' EDUCATION.
( APPLAUSE ).
>> Stephen: SOME OF THESE-- SOME OF THE REASONS-- I ASSUME--
AND YOU CAN CORRECT ME IF I'M WRONG-- I ASSUME SOME OF THE
REASONS ARE THERE ARE SORT OF CULTURAL OBSTACLES TO GIRLS
BEING VALUED AS EDUCATED MEMBERS OF SOCIETY.
HOW DO YOU-- HOW DO YOU EFFECTIVELY CHANGE THOSE
CULTURAL OBSTACLES, RATHER THAN JUST PROVIDING OPPORTUNITY, HOW
DO YOU MAKE SURE THOSE OPPORTUNITIES ARE TAKEN
ADVANTAGE OF IN COUNTRIES THAT MAY NOT ORDINARILY OFFER THEM?
>> THAT'S WHAT WE'RE WORKING ON.
AND WE KNOW WE HAVE TO BE ON THE GROUND.
BECAUSE YOU CAN'T CHANGE CULTURE IF YOU'RE NOT A PART OF THE
CULTURE.
AND THE PEACE CORPS HAS PLAYED AN IMPORTANT ROLE.
WE HAVE PEACE CORPS VOLUNTEERS WORKING ON "LET GIRLS LEARN"
INITIATIVES ON THE GROUND, IN A COMMUNITY, IN A VILLAGE, FOR UP
TO TO TO YEARS, REALLY UNDERSTANDING THE CULTURAL
ISSUES, DEVELOPING LEADERSHIP TRAINING PROGRAMS FOR NOT JUST
THE GIRLS BUT THEIR PARENTS.
SO YOU HAVE TO TAKE EACH COMMUNITY WHERE THEY ARE.
THERE'S NO ONE SOLUTION TO THAT.
THIS PROBLEM, WHICH IS WHAT MAKES IT SO COMPLICATED-- EVERY
COMMUNITY IS DIFFERENT.
SO AWARENESS AND ENGAGEMENT IS CRITICAL.
BUT WE'RE GRATEFUL TO THE PEACE CORPS VOLUNTEERS OUT THERE DOING
THE HARD WORK ON THE GROUND.
>> Stephen: I UNDERSTAND, RIGHT HERE IN THE AUDIENCE--
AND, JIM, IF WE COULD GET A SHOT OF THIS-- THERE ARE SOME YOUNG
LADIES IN THE FRONT ROW HERE.
>> YES.
>> Stephen: WHO ACTUALLY HAVE BEEN PART OF THIS PROGRAM FROM
MALAWI, JORDAN.
PAKISTAN.
( APPLAUSE )
>> THEY-- THEY SPOKE SO ELOQUENTLY.
THEY TOLD THEIR STORIES AT AN EVENT THAT YOU HELPED TO HOST
YESTERDAY HERE.
>> Stephen: ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL EVENT HERE IN NEW YORK
CITY.
>> ON BROADWAY.
TO HELP RAISE AWARENESS.
WE HELD IT FOR THE SPOUSES OF THE WORLD LEADERS OF THE U.N.
GENERAL ASSEMBLY.
IT WAS A MIXTURE OF STORIES AND, YOU KNOW, INSPIRATION FROM THESE
GIRLS, AND EMPOWERING MUSIC FROM SOME OF THE TOP BROADWAY STARS.
AND WE HAD THIS HAND SUSPECT YOUNG MAN HERE HELPING US KEEP
IT ALL TOGETHER.
AND I'M SO GRATEFUL FOR YOUR SUPPORT, NOT JUST YESTERDAY, BUT
ON EVERYTHING YOU DO ON ISSUES THAT YOU DON'T JUST SPEAK OUT
ON.
YOU DON'T JUST MAKE US LAUGH.
BUT YOU KNOW ABOUT THESE ISSUES, AND YOU CARE ABOUT THEM.
AND THAT'S WHY I LIKE YOU.
>> Stephen: THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
IT WAS AN HONOR TO BE INVITED.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
THERE'S A DOCUMENTARY, THERE'S A DOCUMENTARY THAT CNN IS GOING TO
HAVE ON CALLED: "WE WILL RISE" A CNN FILM THAT FOLLOWED YOU ON
A TRIP TO LIBERIA.
>> MARAKESH AND MADRID.
>> Stephen: AND WE HAVE A CAN CLIP RIGHT HERE.
JIM.
>> YOU'RE IMPORTANT IN YOUR OWN RIGHT.
PEOPLE WANT AND NEED TO VALUE YOU BECAUSE OF WHO YOU ARE
BECAUSE OF YOUR STORY, BECAUSE OF YOUR CHALLENGES.
THAT'S WHAT MAKES YOU UNIQUE.
YOU KNOW?
YOU WANT TO BE DIFFERENT.
YOU WANT TO BE SPECIAL.
THE FACT THAT YOU'VE BEEN ABLE TO OVERCOME CHALLENGES-- AND
THIS IS WHAT I ALWAYS THOUGHT-- THAT MADE ME SMARTER.
THAT MADE ME BETTER, RIGHT?
BECAUSE I COULD OVERCOME THINGS THAT A LOT OF PEOPLE WHO WERE IN
THE THE SAME POSITION NEVER HAD TO OVERCOME.
>> YEAH.
( APPLAUSE ) >> Stephen: WELL, THANK YOU SO
MUCH FOR BEING HERE.
IT'S ALWAYS AN HONOR TO TALK TO YOU.
AND I HOPE WE HAVE THE CHANCE TO HAVE YOU BACK AGAIN ONCE YOU
LEAVE THE WHITE HOUSE, BECAUSE I KNOW THAT YOU AND YOUR HUSBAND
WILL NOT STOP TRYING TO MAKE A CHANGE IN THE WORLD.
>> NO, ABSOLUTELY.
>> Stephen: THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
>> THANK YOU, STEPHEN.
>> Stephen: "WE WILL RISE: MICHELLE OBAMA'S MISSION TO
EDUCATE GIRLS AROUND THE WORLD" PREMIERES OCTOBER 11 ON CNN.
TO FIND OUT HOW YOU CAN HELP SUPPORT GIRLS' EDUCATION, GO TO
letgirlslearn.gov.
WE'LL BE RIGHT BACK WITH AMERICA FERRERA.