CHRISTOPHER ANDERSON/MAGNUM PHOTOS; AMANDA LUCIDON;PETE SOUZA/SHUTTERSTOCK; EYEVINE; GETTY IMAGES
college, I thought I wanted to be a lawyer because it sounded
like a job for good, respectable people. It took me a few years
to listen to my intuition and find a path that fit better for
who I was, inside and out. Becoming who we are is an ongoing
process, and thank God – because where’s the fun in waking
up one day and deciding there’s nowhere left to go? That’s
something I wish I’d recognised a little earlier. As a younger
woman, I spent too much time worrying that I wasn’t
achieving enough, or I was straying too far from what I
thought was the prescribed path. What I hope my daughters
will realise a little earlier is that there is no prescribed path,
that it’s OK to swerve, and that the confidence they need to
recognise that will come with time.
How would that advice be different if you were offering it
to sons? Or would it be the same?
It would be exactly the same. My parents, particularly my
father, taught my brother and me at an early age to treat boys
and girls exactly the same. When I was still in elementary
school, my dad bought my brother a pair of boxing gloves.
But when he came home from the store, he was carrying not
one, but two pairs of gloves. He wasn’t going to teach his son
to punch without making sure his daughter could throw a
left hook, too. Now, I was a little younger and a little smaller
than my brother, but I kept up with him. I could dodge a jab
just like he could, and I could hit just as hard as him, too.
My father saw that. I think he wanted to make sure that my
brother saw that as well.
What inspired you to start the Girls Opportunity
Alliance [a programme of the Obama Foundation that
seeks to empower adolescent girls through education],
and what is your goal?
Today, nearly 98 million adolescent girls around the world
are not in school. That’s a tragedy – for the girls, of course,
but also for all of us. Think of everything we’re missing out
on. We know that when we educate girls, when we truly
invest in their potential, there is no limit to the good it can
do. Girls who attend school have healthier families, they earn
higher wages, and the world gets to experience the full
expression of their gifts. I formed the Girls Opportunity
Alliance because I’ve seen the power of education in my
own life. And I believe that every little girl, no matter her
circumstances, deserves the opportunity to learn, grow and
act on her knowledge. So, we’re connecting grass-roots leadersalready working on the ground in countries all over the world,
helping them to learn from each other and get the resources,
support and platform they need to lift up girls in communities
that can use a boost. And we are grateful to all the people
around the world who have supported this programme and
are interested in taking action to help.
If you were sitting down with your 15-year-old self,
what do you think she would tell you, seeing who you
have become today?
I love this question. I had a lot of fun when I was 15, but
when it came right down to it, teenage-me was pretty by
the book – straight As, through-the-roof standards for
herself. So I imagine that she’d be proud of how far I’ve
come – but she wouldn’t let me off the hook, either. I feel
like she’d give me one of those silent nods of recognition,
you know? She’d remind me there are still too many girls
on the South Side of Chicago who are being shushed, cast
aside or told they’re dreaming too big. She’d tell me to keep
fighting for them. If I’m being honest, she’d probably smile
about how cute my husband is, too.
And now to shift gears for a moment, and end
with a wild-card question... What is the most beautiful
sound that you’ve ever heard?
When Malia and Sasha were newborns, Barack and I could
lose hours just watching them sleep. We loved to listen to
the little sounds they’d make – especially the way they cooed
when they were deep into dreaming. Don’t get me wrong,
early parenthood is exhausting. I’m sure you know a thing
or two about that these days. But there is something so magical
about having a baby in the house. Time expands and contracts;
each moment holds its own little eternity. I’m so excited for
you and Harry to experience that, Meghan. Savour it all. nBecoming who we are is an
ongoing process, and
thank God – because where’s the fun
in waking up one day and
deciding there’s nowhere left to go?
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