“Let’s talk!” — That’s how former first lady Michelle Obama kicked off an intimate #IAmBecoming conversation with student leaders in San Jose Friday afternoon, returning to her roots in the nonprofit world by joining forces with Public Allies, an organization she helped shape back in the 90s.
Obama was executive director of the Chicago chapter of Public Allies, and on Friday, she met with current and former “allies” who want to be future leaders as part of her “Becoming” book tour.
[BAY JG] Michelle Obama Stops in San Jose for 'Becoming' Tour
“We’re all about creating this generation’s Michelle Obama,” said Jaime Ernesto Uzeta, CEO of Public Allies. “She helped shape the organization into what it is today and when we look back and consider how she’s led, it’s just so representative of what we’re trying to teach young people.”
The nonprofit holds weekly youth workshops on Friday.
Obama’s first topic of discussion: “How to deal with failure.”
“Failure is a part of learning,” Obama said, paving the way for the rest of the session. "Part of continuous learning is failure, regardless of your race. If you are going to lead, if you’re going to have any sign of success, you have to be prepared to fail.”
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She then opened it up to others in the group asking them how many times they had failed.
The answer, followed by laughter: “Too many times!”
The group talked openly about their experiences as a Latino or African-American person of color, and of the difficulties they faced in the real world. Not many people at the Seven Trees Public Library and Community Center knew Obama was visiting. There was no obvious signs in the quiet San Jose neighborhood of her visit except for a few security personnel inside the building. Outside, a few curious youngsters asked library employees: “Will we get to see her coming out?”
The allies spoke out about how Obama had influenced them during her time as first lady. Meeting her on Friday was definitely special for them.
“Knowing that it’s something that Michelle Obama is passionate about only makes me feel like what I’m doing is even more important,” said Hilary Armstrong, a current ally.
Members of the media only got to spend 10 minutes at the workshop and weren’t allowed any questions.
Obama’s team said 10 percent of ticket sales from her book tour events are donated to a local organization at each stop.
In “Becoming,” Obama wrote:
“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.”
Obama will end her book tour with a speaking session at the SAP Center in San Jose, after which she will fly to New York for the last stop on her “Becoming” tour this year.
“Let’s Talk!” @MichelleObama in San Jose for an #IamBecoming conversation w/ youth from @PublicAllies. #PublicAllies19 #PAAlum
Obama headed the non profit’s Chicago chapter in the 90s. pic.twitter.com/Yr7zv5RDcL — Riya (@loislane28) December 14, 2018
