Monday, March 12, 2012
Thursday, December 24, 2009
'Twas the Night Before Christmas: First Lady Michelle Obama Reads the Holiday Classic
'Twas the Night before Christmas: A video of the holiday classic being read by First Lady Michelle Obama is available at www.childrensnational.org for children and families around the country and world. Children's National has hosted every First Lady since Mrs. Truman. Children's National Medical Center is a national and international destination for children needing specialty medical care, and is located just four miles from the White House. Photo credit: Rick Rinehard. (PRNewsFoto/Children's National Medical Center) WASHINGTON, DC UNITED STATES
24 Dec 2009 05:28 Africa/Lagos
'Twas the Night Before Christmas: First Lady Michelle Obama Reads the Holiday Classic
Children's National Posts Favorite Story on Its Site
WASHINGTON, Dec. 23 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- First Lady Michelle Obama read the holiday classic 'Twas the Night before Christmas by Clement Clarke Moore, during her holiday visit to Children's National Medical Center. A video of the classic story being read by the nation's First Lady is available on the Children's National website, so children and families around the country and world can share the special holiday visit.
(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20091223/DC30393 )
First Lady Michele Obama, with daughters Malia and Sasha, along with dog Bo, visited patients and staff at Children's National Medical Center on Tuesday, December 22.
As part of her visit on Tuesday, Mrs. Obama and her daughters read stories to children staying at the hospital who were brought down to the hospital atrium for the annual event.
"It's been a longstanding tradition for First Ladies to visit the nation's children's hospital. We are pleased that Mrs. Obama and her daughters brought such joy to our patients and staff," said Jacqueline D. Bowens, Executive Vice President and Chief Government and External Affairs Officer at Children's National.
The tradition of First Ladies visiting Children's National goes back to First Lady Bess Truman. Children's National Medical Center is located less than four miles from the White House.
About Children's National Medical Center
Children's National Medical Center, located in Washington, DC, is a proven leader in the development of innovative new treatments for childhood illness and injury. Children's has been serving the nation's children for more than 135 years. Children's National is proudly ranked among the best pediatric hospitals in America by US News & World Report and the Leapfrog Group. For more information, visit www.childrensnational.org.
Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20091223/DC30393
AP Archive: http://photoarchive.ap.org/
AP PhotoExpress Network: PRN3
PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com
Source: Children's National Medical Center
CONTACT: Emily Dammeyer or Paula Darte, +1-202-476-4500
Web Site: hhtp://www.childrensnational.org
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'Twas the Night Before Christmas: First Lady Michelle Obama Reads the Holiday Classic
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Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Michelle Obama and Her Mother On the Cover of ESSENCE Magazine!
7 Apr 2009 13:26 Africa/Lagos
ESSENCE Magazine's White House Exclusive!
SPECIAL MAY COVER STORY FEATURES FIRST LADY MICHELLE OBAMA AND HER MOTHER
NEW YORK, April 7 /PRNewswire/ -- ESSENCE's May issue celebrates Mother's Day in a special way -- with two of the most popular mothers in the world! In their first interview together, First Lady Michelle Obama and her mother, Marian Shields Robinson, 71, did a sit down interview in the White House during their first photo shoot together to speak to ESSENCE editor-in-chief Angela Burt-Murray about retaining their family values, what it takes to raise good kids and being role models for the Black community. They were photographed exclusively for ESSENCE at the White House on February 24th.
(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20090407/NY95539 )
In the article, A Mother's Love, Mrs. Obama and Mrs. Robinson also share their personal thoughts on some of the challenges facing families today and provide practical tips for parents everywhere. In addition, the issue features a special Mother's Day message from President Barack Obama on why he is thankful for his wife and mother-in-law.
"We wanted our ESSENCE readers to see first-hand the dynamic bond between First Lady Michelle Obama and Mrs. Robinson. Both of these ladies are phenomenal women in their own right, and are each others' greatest fans. Their relationship is inspiring -- and they are a wonderful example for mothers and daughters everywhere," said Burt-Murray.
Some of the quotes from the cover story include...
FIRST LADY MICHELLE OBAMA ON...
-- ADVANCING THE ROLE OF WOMEN WORLDWIDE: "We have to talk about flex
hours and exercise and nutrition and health and what that means. And
we have to talk about values, and about our relationships with men.
All of those are part of the conversation that I think we need to
have, not just in this country but around the world."
-- COMBATING STEREOTYPICAL IMAGES OF AFRICAN-AMERICAN WOMEN: "The women
in videos and the stereotypes are just not the truth of who we are as
a community. We already know that because we are living these lives
every single day. It's nice to have this reminder in the White House,
but I would say we don't need it...all you need to do is look around
your own community and you will see this same family in churches and
in schools."
MRS. MARIAN ROBINSON ON...
-- ADVICE ON RAISING CHILDREN: "The main thing that I think needs to be
taught to children is the ability to think and make decisions. You
don't have to have a lot of information, but you have to know how to
get through the process. If you make mistakes you don't [just] decide
I will never do that again."
-- ENJOYING LIFE IN THE WHITE HOUSE: "...I really am. You want to know
why? Because my children are good parents. It makes it very easy to be
a grandmother when your children are good parents."
Visit Essence.com for more on this story and behind-the-scenes images from this photo shoot, and pick up the May 2009 issue of ESSENCE on newsstands now.
Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20090407/NY95539
http://photoarchive.ap.org/
AP PhotoExpress Network: PRN10
PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com
Source: ESSENCE Magazine
CONTACT: Dana Baxter, +1-212-522-1634, dbaxter@essence.com, Sheila
Harris, +1-212-522-1089, sharris@essence.com, both of ESSENCE Magazine
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Thursday, August 21, 2008
TV One Premieres Special One-Hour Interview with Michelle Obama Sunday, August 24 at 8 PM
TV One Commentator Roland Martin interviews Michelle Obama in a one-hour special premiering on TV One Sunday, Aug. 24 at 8 PM (PRNewsFoto/TV One, Parrish Lewis) SILVER SPRING, MD UNITED STATES 06/30/2008
21 Aug 2008 16:34 Africa/Lagos
TV One Premieres Special One-Hour Interview with Michelle Obama Sunday, August 24 at 8 PM
- TV One commentator Roland Martin's interview with Mrs. Obama will serve as prelude to TV One's live coverage of the Democratic convention beginning Monday, Aug. 25 at 8 PM ET -
SILVER SPRING, Md., Aug. 21 /PRNewswire/ -- Michelle Obama sits down with TV One commentator Roland Martin to discuss a wide range of topics that provide a personal glimpse of the presumptive Democratic Presidential candidate's spouse, her relationship with her husband and family, and what she thinks about the historic role into which they have stepped on Sunday, August 24 from 8-9 PM ET, when TV One premieres In Conversation ... The Michelle Obama Interview.
(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080821/NETH048 )
During this revealing interview, which repeats at 11 PM ET, Martin talks to Mrs. Obama about a host of topics, including her role in the campaign, how she deals with political attacks, the challenges of being away from their children on the campaign trail, how they find time for family and each other, her faith and their decision to leave Trinity Church, life in a fishbowl, how her upbringing shaped her values, and people's perceptions and misperceptions about her.
Mrs. Obama tells Martin that she spent much of her marriage trying to talk her husband out of politics, but she says her daughters are at the heart of the reason she decided to support his desire to pursue public office -- because she recognized that through politics he could make a better world for them.
She says that a spouse's role in the campaign is important because it gives a broader insight of who the candidate is.
"So much of who I am is where I grew up," Mrs. Obama says. She talks about growing up on the South Side of Chicago, her father as a shift worker who had MS and who believed in sacrificing for his family but never complained. She says both her parents taught her the importance of working hard and giving back.
She also believes voters can see themselves reflected in her and her husband's working and middle class family backgrounds. She says that black women, in particular, have not had their views and their lives reflected in the larger world, and she is delighted when she hears from black women that they see themselves reflected in her.
She tells Martin she and her husband learned how to sustain their relationship back in his state senate days, including carving out a regular date night. She says it's important for her daughters to see their parents' loving relationship, to see them holding hands, and that it helps them feel secure and loved.
While her own schedule is hectic, she recognizes that the average working family faces much more difficult struggles, with every woman she knows struggling to balance resources. She tells Martin that she passionately wants to give voice to the challenges of working families, especially military families, who struggle with housing, schools, and health matters, many of them barely getting by.
Mrs. Obama says that it's truly humbling to be part of the next step in history, and she clearly does recognize that they are part of a historic moment.
"You need to celebrate what [Sen. Obama] represents even if you don't vote for him," Mrs. Obama says.
"We are delighted to bring this interview with Mrs. Obama to our viewers as part of our public affairs programming during the Presidential election season," said TV One President and CEO Johnathan Rodgers. "This next week is clearly a major moment in African American history, and we are pleased that Mrs. Obama is willing to share this historic time with our viewers, and share her thoughts about what it means to her and her family."
The interview, conducted in Chicago on Aug. 20, is part of TV One's continuing series of hour-long interviews with major public figures of interest to African Americans. Over the past four years, TV One has featured hour-long interviews with Senators Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, then- Secretary of State Colin Powell, then-National Security Adviser and current Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas and former Secretary of Education Roderick Paige.
"We also hope to have an opportunity soon to offer our viewers an in-depth interview with Senator McCain," Rodgers added.
Roland Martin became a commentator for TV One in the spring of 2005. He is also a contributor and commentator for CNN, a nationally syndicated columnist, and the host of "The Roland S. Martin Show" on WVON-AM radio in Chicago. A former editor of leading African American publications the Chicago Defender, the Houston Defender and the Dallas Weekly, and reporter for the Ft. Worth Star-Telegram and Austin American-Statesman, he has won more than 20 professional awards for journalistic excellence.
The interview serves as a prelude to TV One's coverage of the Democratic convention. TV One will offer live, nightly primetime coverage of the Democratic convention in Denver Monday, August 25 - Thursday, August 28, followed by TV One Live: DNC Afterparty, a smart, irreverent and engaging hour that includes a uniquely African American cultural perspective on the events of the day. The post-convention show will range from commentary by a diverse group of outspoken panelists, to coverage of the day's social, cultural and political events, to stories from the convention floor -- and from the bus stops and diners around Denver.
Launched in January 2004, TV One (http://www.tvoneonline.com/) serves more than 44 million households, offering a broad range of lifestyle and entertainment-oriented original programming, classic series, movies, fashion and music designed to entertain, inform and inspire a diverse audience of adult African American viewers. TV One's investors include Radio One (NASDAQ:ROIA) (NASDAQ:and) (NASDAQ:ROIAK) (http://www.radio-one.com/), the largest radio company that primarily targets African American and urban listeners; Comcast Corporation (NASDAQ:CMCSA) (NASDAQ:and) (NASDAQ:CMCSK) (http://www.comcast.com/), the leading cable television company in the country; The DirecTV Group; Constellation Ventures; Syndicated Communications; and Opportunity Capital Partners.
Photo: NewsCom: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080821/NETH048
AP Archive: http://photoarchive.ap.org/
AP PhotoExpress Network: PRN9
PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com
Source: TV One
CONTACT: Lynn McReynolds for TV One, +1-410-703-0250,
lynn@mcreynoldselek.com
Web site: http://www.tvoneonline.com/
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
The New Yorker's Islamophobic and Racist Cartoon of Barack and Michelle Obama
The Islamophobic and racist cartoon
I am not going to nominate Barry Blitt for the Pulitzer Prize in Editorial Cartooning and I am not going to join any mob to lynch him, but I must say the truth.
His bizzare and offensive cartoon is a political lampoon to ridicule Senator Barack Obama and his wife Michelle Obama. It is as Islamophobic and racist as the twelve editorial cartoons of prophet Muhammad published by the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten on 30 September 2005.
The New Yorker is accountable for this deliberate act of political provocation to aggravate the negative rumours of the Islamic backgrounds of Senator Barack Obama and his African American heritage.
It is a libelous cartoon published for the defamation of the personality of an African American Senator and damage the prospects of his election as the first African American President of the United States. The New Yorker can fool the rest of America by making obnoxious and preposterous excuses for this derogatory and defamatory political cartoon, but cannot fool any intelligent observer who can see the ulterior motive of this insult on all people of color in America and the rest of the world. This cartoon is a racist political campaign of calumny to malign the presumptive nominee of the Democratic Party in the 2008 presidential election to perpetrate racial malice and prejudice against Senator Barack Obama and make most of the White voters to see him as a negative symbol of a true American citizen by dressing him and his wife in the masquerade of Islamic terrorists.
This cartoon should be denounced and destroyed!