68 Facts About Michelle Robinson

1.

Michelle LaVaughn Robinson Obama was born on January 17,1964 and is an American attorney and author who served as first lady of the United States from 2009 to 2017.

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2.

Michelle Robinson was the first African-American woman to serve in this position.

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3.

Michelle Robinson subsequently worked in nonprofits and as the associate dean of Student Services at the University of Chicago as well as the vice president for Community and External Affairs of the University of Chicago Medical Center.

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4.

Michelle Robinson has subsequently delivered acclaimed speeches at the 2012,2016, and 2020 conventions.

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5.

Michelle Robinson supported American designers and was considered a fashion icon.

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6.

Michelle Robinson's mother was a full-time homemaker until Michelle entered high school.

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7.

Michelle Robinson's paternal great-great grandfather, Jim Robinson, was born into slavery in 1850 on Friendfield Plantation, near Georgetown, South Carolina.

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8.

All four of Michelle Robinson's grandparents had multiracial ancestors, reflecting the complex history of the US Her extended family has said that people did not talk about the era of slavery when they were growing up.

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9.

Michelle Robinson was raised in what she describes as a "conventional" home, with "the mother at home, the father works, you have dinner around the table".

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10.

Michelle Robinson played piano, learning from her great-aunt, who was a piano teacher.

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11.

Michelle Robinson's father suffered from multiple sclerosis, which had a profound effect on her.

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12.

Michelle Robinson attended Whitney Young High School, Chicago's first magnet high school, established as a selective enrollment school, where she was a classmate of Jesse Jackson's daughter Santita.

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13.

Michelle Robinson recalled being fearful of how others would perceive her, but disregarded any negativity around her and used it "to fuel me, to keep me going".

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14.

Michelle Robinson recalled facing gender discrimination growing up, saying, for example, that rather than asking her for her opinion on a given subject, people commonly tended to ask what her older brother thought.

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15.

Michelle Robinson was on the honor roll for four years, took advanced placement classes, was a member of the National Honor Society, and served as student council treasurer.

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16.

Michelle Robinson graduated in 1981 as the salutatorian of her class.

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17.

Michelle Robinson was inspired to follow her brother to Princeton University, which she entered in 1981.

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18.

Michelle Robinson recalls that some of her teachers in high school tried to dissuade her from applying, and that she had been warned against "setting my sights too high".

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19.

Michelle Robinson has said she was overwhelmed during her first year, attributing this to the fact that neither of her parents had graduated from college, and that she had never spent time on a college campus.

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20.

Michelle Robinson said being at Princeton was the first time she became more aware of her ethnicity and, despite the willingness of her classmates and teachers to reach out to her, she still felt "like a visitor on campus".

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21.

Michelle Robinson ran their daycare center, which offered after school tutoring for older children.

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22.

Michelle Robinson challenged the teaching methodology for French because she felt it should be more conversational.

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23.

Michelle Robinson researched her thesis by sending a questionnaire to African-American graduates, asking that they specify when and how comfortable they were with their race prior to their enrollment at Princeton and how they felt about it when they were a student and since then.

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24.

Michelle Robinson's findings did not support her hope that the black alumni would still identify with the African-American community, even though they had attended an elite university and had the advantages that accrue to its graduates.

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25.

Michelle Robinson pursued professional study, earning her Juris Doctor degree from Harvard Law School in 1988.

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26.

At Harvard, Michelle Robinson participated in demonstrations advocating the hiring of professors who were members of minority groups.

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27.

Michelle Robinson worked for the Harvard Legal Aid Bureau, assisting low-income tenants with housing cases.

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28.

Michelle Robinson is the third first lady with a postgraduate degree, after her two immediate predecessors, Hillary Clinton and Laura Bush.

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29.

Michelle Robinson later said her education gave her opportunities beyond what she had ever imagined.

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30.

Michelle Robinson's father was Fraser C Robinson III, who worked at the city's water purification plant.

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31.

Michelle Robinson met Barack Obama when they were among the few African Americans at their law firm, Sidley Austin LLP.

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32.

Michelle Robinson was assigned to mentor him while he was a summer associate.

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33.

Barack Obama has said the couple had an "opposites attract" scenario in their initial interest in each other, since Michelle Robinson had stability from her two-parent home while he was "adventurous".

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34.

Michelle Robinson was elected to the state senate in 1996, and to the US Senate in 2004.

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35.

Michelle Robinson once requested that her then-fiance meet her prospective boss, Valerie Jarrett, when considering her first career move; Jarrett became one of her husband's closest advisors.

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36.

In 2008, Michelle Robinson said in an interview on The Ellen DeGeneres Show that they did not intend to have anymore children.

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37.

Michelle Robinson Obama was raised United Methodist and joined the Trinity United Church of Christ, a mostly black congregation of the Reformed denomination known as the United Church of Christ.

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38.

Michelle Robinson continues to hold her law license, but as she no longer needs it for her work, she has kept it on a voluntary inactive status since 1993.

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39.

Michelle Robinson worked there nearly four years and set fundraising records for the organization that still stood twelve years after she had left.

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40.

Michelle Robinson continued to hold the University of Chicago Hospitals position during the primary campaign of 2008, but cut back to part-time in order to spend time with her daughters as well as work for her husband's election.

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41.

Michelle Robinson served on the board of directors of the Chicago Council on Global Affairs.

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42.

Michelle Robinson knew it meant their lives would be subject to scrutiny and she was intensely private.

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43.

Michelle Robinson says she negotiated an agreement in which her husband was to quit smoking in exchange for her support of his decision to run.

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44.

Michelle Robinson wrote her own stump speeches for her husband's presidential campaign and generally spoke without notes.

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45.

Michelle Robinson delivered her speech, during which she sought to portray herself and her family as the embodiment of the American Dream.

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46.

Michelle Robinson said her husband's winning the nomination was a fairly strong indicator that it was.

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47.

Michelle Robinson was later criticized for appearing detached and for looking down when addressing Romney.

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48.

Michelle Robinson sent representatives to schools and advocated public service.

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49.

Michelle Robinson hosted a White House reception for women's rights advocates in celebration of the enactment of the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009 Pay equity law.

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50.

Michelle Robinson supported the economic stimulus bill in visits to the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development and United States Department of Education.

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51.

On June 5,2009, the White House announced that Michelle Robinson Obama was replacing her then chief of staff, Jackie Norris, with Susan Sher, a longtime friend and adviser.

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52.

Some initiatives of First Lady Michelle Robinson Obama included advocating on behalf of military families, helping working women balance career and family, encouraging national service, and promoting the arts and arts education.

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53.

In November 2013, a Politico article by Michelle Robinson Cottle accusing Obama of being a "feminist nightmare" for not using her position and education to advocate for women's issues was sharply criticized across the political spectrum.

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54.

Michelle Robinson had bee hives installed on the South Lawn of the White House.

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55.

Michelle Robinson's call for action on healthy eating was repeated by the United States Department of Defense, which has been facing an ever-expanding problem of obesity among recruits.

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56.

On May 9,2012, Barack and Michelle Robinson Obama came out publicly in favor of same-sex marriage.

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57.

Michelle Robinson met with Peng Liyuan, the wife of Chinese president Xi Jinping, visited historic and cultural sites, as well as a university and two high schools.

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58.

Michelle Robinson received criticism for not covering her head in a nation where women are forbidden from publicly not doing so, though Obama was defended for being a foreigner and thus not having to submit to Saudi Arabia's customs, even being praised in some corners.

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59.

Michelle Robinson continued advancing her initiative for international education for women by speaking at the 2015 World Innovation Summit for Education for her "Let Girls Learn" initiative in Doha, Qatar and touring a school in Amman, Jordan, where she met with female students.

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60.

Michelle Robinson toured seven states in two weeks within October 2010.

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61.

Michelle Robinson appeared multiple times on the campaign trail in either solo or joint appearances with Clinton.

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62.

Michelle Robinson was an honorary guest at Oprah Winfrey's Legends Ball as a "young'un" paying tribute to the "Legends" who helped pave the way for African-American women.

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63.

Michelle Robinson appeared on the 2008 People list of best-dressed women and was praised by the magazine for her "classic and confident" look.

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64.

Questions were raised by some in the American and British media regarding protocol when the Obamas met Queen Elizabeth II and Michelle Robinson reciprocated a touch on her back by the Queen during a reception, purportedly against traditional royal etiquette.

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65.

Michelle Robinson became a fashion trendsetter, in particular favoring sleeveless dresses, including her first-term official portrait in a dress by Michael Kors, and her ball gowns designed by Jason Wu for both inaugurals.

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66.

Michelle Robinson has been known for wearing clothes by African designers such as Mimi Plange, Duro Olowu, Maki Oh, and Osei Duro, and styles such as the Adire fabric.

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67.

Michelle Robinson said after the 2008 election that she would like to focus attention as First Lady on issues of concern to military and working families.

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68.

Michelle Robinson Obama wore a matching plum coat, sweater, pants, and belt designed by Sergio Hudson to the inauguration.

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