Michelle Obama comes to East London

If there has been one mission America’s First Lady has brought to the world, it’s her passion that girls and young women can be strong, safe and educated.

No surprise therefore that in promoting her global project ‘Let girls learn’ Michelle Obama chose the East London Mulberry Girls school, in the heart of the boroughs Bangladeshi community.

And whilst Mulberry school has no connection with the Bethnal Green Academy, the school that has been marred by the fact that three of its pupils left the UK to support ISIS in Syria, the borough and all of its schools have been affected by that story.

Michelle Obama’s team would have been acutely aware about her message at this time in this borough, and how it will be translated around the world. But like her husband, the President, she has the capacity to move an audience that few can match, giving the young girls a reason to belong to an open society and excel in their goals. And from the cheers and applause she really didn’t disappoint.

In her speech, she said:

With an education from this amazing school you all have everything, everything you need to rise above all of the noise and fulfil every last one of your dreams.”

And it is so important that you do that, not just for yourselves but for all of us. Because you all have a unique perspective, you have a unique voice to add to the conversation."

In spite of the world’s press being there - crammed in at the back of the hall, the first Lady spoke in a very personal and intimate way, almost as though she was personally speaking to every one of these young girls. She spoke of her own childhood on the rough side of Chicago where opportunity was scarce, and of how she broke through those barriers.

Every one of those young girls will have been inspired to be better than they thought they could be by Michelle Obama’s visit. That is the magic of a political activist hell-bent on raising aspiration and hope.

Simon Woolley