*Michelle Obama got a chance to promote her global Let Girls Learn Initiative directly to the spouses of the Chiefs of State and Heads of Government during an event Monday at this year’s United Nations General Assembly.
“I want to be clear that as First Lady of the United States I have no budget of my own for programs, I have no authority to make or pass laws, and I cannot issue any kind of executive orders,” she told the audience at “Broadway Shines a Light on Girls’ Education,” held at the Bernard B. Jacobs theater in New York’s Times Square.
The event included performances from the female-focused casts of Wicked, Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, Waitress and The Color Purple, as well as remarks from Queen Rania of Jordan, and Dr. Gertrude Mutharika, the First Lady of Malawi.
“When people hear the stories of girls who aren’t in school they want to help. And as spouses of world leaders, so many of us here in this room have platforms to tell these stories and bring people together to take action for these girls,” FLOTUS told the crowd, which also included school children, and a few rows of excited Girl Scouts.
Cynthia Erivo, who recently received the Tony for her performance in The Color Purple, reportedly had the audience on their feet with a powerhouse rendition of that show’s “I’m Here.”
“The thing about me that is most important is that I’m a young Broadway actress, but I’m also female,” Erivo told Billboard about the event. “So I have a vested interested in other young women learning and being confident in themselves.”
Invited guests Noor Abu Ghazaleh of Jordan, Summyka Qadir of Pakistan, and Halima Robert of Malawi spoke movingly about overcoming poverty, child marriage and indifference in order to attain an education.
Watch footage from the event below:
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