Michelle Obama is in San Jose today to promote her new autobiography, Becoming, at a sold-out SAP Center event. But before her 8pm appearance at the sports and concert venue, the former First Lady will visit a lucky group of school kids as part of an educational workshop at the Seven Trees Library and Community Center.
The student seminar is hosted by Public Allies, a 25-year-old nonprofit that trains young people throughout the U.S. to become leaders. It will not be open to the public.
Obama has worked with the organization for decades, leading its Chicago chapter in the 1990s and inviting members to meet her at various stops during her book tour. Public Allies even gets a shout-out in her book, which follows Obama from her childhood, to her work for nonprofits and the legal field and her calling to work with underserved youth.
Here’s the excerpt that mentions the group:
“I’d been hired to be the executive director for the brand-new Chicago chapter of an organization called Public Allies. Public Allies [is] all about promise—finding it, nurturing it, and putting it to use. It was a mandate to seek out young people whose best qualities might otherwise be overlooked and to give them a chance to do something meaningful. To me, the job felt almost like destiny.
The most exciting part for me was finding the Allies themselves ... Who were the leaders? Who was ready for something bigger than what he or she had? These were the people we wanted to encourage to apply, urging them to forget for a minute whatever obstacles normally made such things impossible, promising as an organization we would do what we could …
... I’ve been amazed over time to see how many of our recruits did, in fact, succeed and commit themselves long term to serving a larger public good. Twenty-five year after its inception, Public Allies is still going strong with chapters in Chicago and two dozen other cities and thousands of alumni across the country. To know that I played some small part in that, helping to create something that’s endured, is one of the most gratifying feelings I’ve had in my professional life.
For the first time in my life, really, I felt I was doing something immediately meaningful, directly impacting the lives of others while also staying connected to both my city and my culture.”
Another 90 or so San Jose Unified School students and their chaperones will get a chance to meet the former FLOTUS at the district office on Lenzen before walking with her into the SAP Center auditorium. The students represent eight local high schools—Broadway, Gunderson, Leland, Lincoln, Middle, College/Liberty, Pioneer, San Jose and Willow Glen —and were invited by Reach Higher, a nonprofit founded by Obama.
From the “Public Allies” website:
http://publicallies.org/the-need/
“The employment rate for young adults is at its lowest level in decades, and far too many young people of color struggle to gain a foothold in the job market.”
These people are on political autopilot.
They have their political narrative and they’re sticking to it. Probably unchanged since the Lyndon Johnson era.
One of the best, and most impactful, FLOTUSs we’ve had in quite some time, always doing good. Welcome to San Jose, Ms Obama!
> always doing good.
Me too.
Michelle and I have that in common.
Not a fan
To be far, First Lady Obama made a video for HUD-VASH a few years ago I found quite compelling. She was soliciting landlords to participate in the program. What I found interesting was that homeless did not disgust her, but homeless Vets did. It showed an understand that homelessness is a problem that is complex and NOT landlords fault. Homeless Vets is a asimple absolute, absolutely disgusting and we should not send soldiers to protect the conuntry and not support them when they get back. You could see her disgust in seeing Vets homeless. The reality was the only people that could/can solve it are landlords, and tough beans if you don’t like it. It was almost downright tough conservativism. She also said that we don’t expect you to do this for free and the program would make sure there was support for the vets and landlord would not lose money. There was no talk of governemnet coersion, just appealing, justifiably, to our patriotism. While she plays the good Lib on TV, she also tiger-momed her kids, which to me was downroght conservative too.
I think in a less crazy intersectional, racially obsessed America, First Lady Obama would be a Republican.
The plan to replace the American flag with the Obama Logo has been scrapped by the Trump Administration.
It was very nice to see her in our city! Pleasant and intelligent woman
For what it’s worth, I heard a (self-described moderate) Democrat pollster on the radio commenting on the gaggle of wannabe presidential candidates for 2020.
He made the point that a black female candidate will have a tremendous advantage in the hearts and minds of Democrat voters.
Who could that be?
Kamala Harris?
Well . . . .in my opinion, not a rocket scientist, or a brain surgeon, or even a rocket surgeon. And, trying too hard to be a female Barack Obama
Michelle Obama?
First thing to notice, she’s a REAL Obama.
Number two, her current book has sold 3 million copies.
Number three, she received a $63 MILLION advance from her book publisher.
As far as I know, she has not made presidential noises . . . YET!
But desperate times require desperate actions and Trump-hating Dems ARE DESPERATE!
Expect to see Michelle Obama’s body kidnapped, stuffed, micro-chipped, robotized, programmed, and propped up on the podium of the 2020 Democratic Party Nominating Convention.
> Michelle Obama is in San Jose today to promote her new autobiography, Becoming, at a sold-out SAP Center event.
Bad news for Democrats: the 2020 election is over.
The results are in. We know the outcome. There is nothing more to learn. No need to stay up late on election night.
There is now NO DOUBT who will be on the Democratic ticket for president:
President: Michelle Obama
Vice President: Beto O’Rourke
This will be known in the media as the “O-O” ticket.
O-O will sweep California with eye-popping, Saddam Hussein-like numbers:
Obama/O’Rourke: 82 percent
Trump/Pence: 18 percent
Tragically, the national results might be different, but after secession, the Nation of California won’t care squat about what goes on in Florida or Wisconsin.
And the state legislature will be the same story: the Democrat Party will maintain supermajorities in both houses.
Governor-for-Life Newsom will not be up for election: nor will Senator DeepState DiFi.
Rejected presidential candidate Kamala Harris will be California’s first black female Senator forever and ever, and even longer if she wants.
All state constitutional offices will be occupied by “Democrats”, until such time as the term “Socialist” becomes more cutting edge.
But, if Democrats sweep everything and own everything, why is this bad news?
Well, think about it. What the hell is the Silicon Valley Democrat Club going to do for the next two years? Have meetings and try to convince each other to support Jeff Zucker or Corny Bonker for President? Huh?
Not in the era of Michelle Obama and Beto O’Rourke. The train has left the station.
Fight for change? Uh-uh. Democrats don’t want to change ANYTHING. CHANGE is a bad word.
Have social mixers to provide opportunities for boys to meet girls? Are you crazy? That’s like ASKING for sexual harassment and gender oppression.
Marx envisioned a day when the Party would melt away, and society would be . . unified in solidarity with the people.
We’re there. And there’s nothing for activists to do,.