(upbeat music)
- We cooked up this really interesting idea
that maybe we could dig up some dirt on the South Lawn.
And we would plant a wonderful garden
that would be a space for us to talk about the food we eat,
and to hopefully create healthier lives for these kids.
- The idea of creating a White House garden really began
before President Obama was even elected to office.
Michelle Obama was finding it hard to create healthy meals
in an efficient and quick way for her children.
And so she thought, well my goodness,
if this is a struggle for me,
it must be a struggle for all working families.
The initial plantings were done by children in the DC area.
- So what kind of vegetables do you all like?
I hear a little broccoli, little lettuce, turnips.
- The White House garden as Mrs. Obama envisioned it
would be a place primarily for young people to come
and enjoy the garden, tell stories, read.
It was very important to Michelle Obama
that this be the people's house, including the grounds.
- This garden has taught us
that if we have the courage to plant a seed,
we never know what might grow.
I take pride in knowing that this garden
will serve as a reminder of what we all started,
but also what we all have left to do.
(dynamic music)
The fruit and vegetable garden
at the Obama Presidential Center space
will feature a wide variety of accessible planting beds
for seasonal fruits and vegetables.
It will include a picnic area, a garden classroom,
and a teaching kitchen where visitors of all ages
and abilities will be able to participate
in hands on workshops to learn how to grow,
harvest, and prepare fresh fruits and vegetables.
And when it came to picking a name for it
there was a natural fit.
I am thrilled to announce that this wonderful garden
will be named after one of my predecessors.
Someone who, decades before me,
planted a victory garden on the White House lawn.
The one and only Eleanor Roosevelt.
- When I was born, my parents named me after my grandmother,
Anna Eleanor Roosevelt.
She was kind, she was considerate.
She listened very carefully to what people said.
- When people think about Eleanor Roosevelt,
they really think of her as the wife of Franklin Roosevelt,
but that really does her a great disservice.
She was an activist, journalist,
teacher, diplomat, policymaker.
And most importantly of all, she was the architect
of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights,
the single most important document of the 20th century.
- When my grandfather became president in 1932,
my grandmother was actually horrified.
She didn't want to be first lady.
She didn't want to be in the spotlight.
- Eleanor Roosevelt redefined the role
of first lady almost immediately
after moving into the White House.
She starts having her own press conferences
with the women members of the press.
And then she adopts the power of the pen.
Not only to say what she thinks, but to capture the voices
of the American people about what they think.
- My grandmother was really committed to equity.
- Marian Anderson, a Black opera star,
was banned from singing in Washington DC
because she's Black.
Eleanor Roosevelt plays a huge role
of arranging for Marian Anderson
not only to perform at the Lincoln Memorial,
but that concert becomes the first live outdoor
coast to coast concert broadcast
in the history of American radio.
(woman singing)
- That whole event gives so many lessons
in how to live our lives purposefully and generously,
and true to our democratic roots.
I see a similarity between FDR and ER,
and President and Mrs. Obama
in that they were strong partners.
(upbeat music)
- Eleanor Roosevelt was her own person.
She understood that she was the first lady
there to support her husband,
but she also appreciated the magnitude of her platform.
Michelle Obama was a very accomplished professional woman
in her own right before becoming first lady.
And she had her own platform as well.
- I was so thrilled when I heard
that the Obama Presidential Center was going to have
a garden named after my grandmother.
I thought it was a really lovely thing to do.
My grandmother would feel right at home there
and she would hope to see many of the children,
the families from the South and West Sides.
She'd hope that this would be a place
where they can understand
that democracy is not something that's static.
We need to grow it.
- We're all so excited to honor Mrs. Roosevelt's legacy
with a garden where so many folks can follow her lead
and plant something that can help
nourish the world around them.
(upbeat music)
I can't wait for you all to see it.