(upbeat music)
(audience cheering) (audience murmuring) (Michelle laughing) - All right, hello. That's everybody sitting back down, right? (Michelle laughing)
(audience laughing) (Isabel laughing) I am so thrilled to be here
on stage with you in Chicago, which is deep in my own soul, because this is where the
warmth of the Suns began. So, I am so thrilled to
be here with both of you. - My big brother. - Oh! - Awww! (audience laughing)
(Michelle laughing) - Before we begin, I'd like
to acknowledge and honor the steady rock in your family, what I believe, the person
who I believe actually is the rockstar of your
family, if I may say, and that is Mrs. Marian Robinson. (audience cheering) So, I wanted to acknowledge her. (laughs) - It's true. (audience applauding) And, she's the smallest of us now. (Isabel laughing)
(audience laughing) She is barely bigger than Aaron, who's the youngest grandchild. - Yes. - Yeah. - Hi, mom. (Michelle laughing) - So, we are going to
be going back in time to the 1960s and '70s, South
Side Chicago, Euclid Avenue. Aunt Robbie on the first floor, and the Robinson family there. And, I think there's a photograph that we're gonna start with. - All right. - And, there it is. (Michelle laughing) (audience cooing) You're just, children. Beautiful children. That could be a commercial,
that could be a billboard. - Today, it could be, yeah. (Isabel laughing) - Where was that? What was going on? How did that picture come to be? What do you remember about it? - Well, that's in our
backyard on 74th and Euclid. And, these are some of
my favorite pictures, because it's the first
time I remember us having what was a formal photography session. But, it was really the
daughter of our Uncle Terry. Robbie and Terry didn't have children, he had a previous
marriage, he had a daughter that was in school. And I think she had a photography project where she had to photograph a family, and I think she picked us
'cause we were the only sort of full family she knew,
with mom, dad, two kids. So, I think that's all we knew. And, she wanted us to be
natural and just to go outside. I think she posed us a little bit, but-- - She posed us a little bit. But, you are obviously
photogenic, even at that age. (audience laughing)
(Michelle laughing) And, I look like I don't wanna be there. (audience laughing)
(Michelle laughing) - Well, you still, you were going through your teeth missing stage, so... - Oh, God! - You were kinda trying to
hold on to that smile, but... - But, what I do remember
is that she said to us, "Just act normal." Because what the pictures
you all don't see, we were playing on our
swing set and in the yard, doing a bunch of different things. But, these pictures represent family. And, it just reminds me of the warmth that we always felt being at home. - And, the strength of our dad. I mean, he was very much
the rock of our household. He was the person that got
up everyday and went to work. And, mom is beautiful in these pictures, she's a beautiful woman. That sort of, the nurturing
of her in those shots, that's what we grew up with. We grew up with a lot of love, and not just symbolic love,
but hold on tight kinda love. The kinda, will kill a man,
kinda love for your kids. (Isabel laughing)
(audience laughing) That little fire in mom's eye? - Yes! - I mean, she was like, "Do
not mess with my children." - That is the law. - There will be the person that comes out will come up to school (Isabel laughing) and will tell off a principal in a minute. But, she was that fierce protector. And, I also think about
how young they were. Now that we have kids in
college and older and younger. He's gonna be a dad for a long time. (Isabel laughing)
(audience laughing) (Michelle laughing) - Thanks. - Oh, my goodness! One of the family jokes. He's the head of the
ODC, the Old Dad's Club. (Isabel laughing)
(audience laughing) President and founding member. (Isabel laughing)
(audience laughing) - I think one of my board
members is here, too. - There we go, a few other old dads. - Yeah, there he is, over there. - Marty Nesbitt. (Isabel laughing)
(audience laughing) But, we digress. (Isabel laughing) We digress. But, having the wisdom that
they brought to parenting, and when you have kids and you understand how they so subtly taught us values and taught us how to be independent and taught us how to think for ourselves at a very young age, that was the power that I now know as an adult. I was like, "Man, mom, you
were a magical parent." And, she takes that for granted. Because, a lot of times,
we value parenting because of education books and
all these sort of theories. But, what our parents gave
us was unconditional love and a notion that our voices mattered. That our opinions counted,
that what we said and thought had meaning to them. And so, you start out with
that kind of foundation, where you really do think
that you were really smart, because guess what? These two people thought we were smart. So, it was easy to go out into a world that was gonna question
everything about everything you knew about yourself,
they were gonna start to place doubts in your head,
to start with that foundation and know that you always came home to that kind of affirmation,
I think gave us the foundation to go out and do what we had to do in very subtle non-monetary ways. That's wisdom, that our
parents brought to us. - Could you speak a
little bit about your dad? Your dad who was so disciplined,
despite the disabilities and challenges that he was
facing, and how that shaped you as well, both as children
and then as parents now? That's such a great photograph of him. - You know, there are so
many different lessons that I learned from my dad
over the years we had him. But, none more than hard work. - Yeah. - 'Cause, in spite of his disability, and you guys should know,
and probably do know now, everybody knows our business now, thanks to that book you wrote. (Isabel laughing)
(audience laughing) That my dad walked with a
limp ever since the time I could remember, I don't remember a time that my dad didn't walk with a limp. And, it got progressively worse,
and he went to the crutches and then finally to the cart
and all that kind of stuff. But, he got up and went
to work every single day. And, that just had such a
monumental impact on me. Because, whenever I didn't
feel like doing homework or I didn't feel like doing my chores, or I didn't feel like working out, I always thought about him. And, when you couple
that kind of hard work with, as Miche talked about,
the ability of mom and dad to give us that self-esteem, you put those two things together, you could pretty much
do anything you want. - And, Isabel, something that
we talked about backstage is that our family wasn't unique. And that's... - Right. - As we talk about Chicago,
and the South Side, as mom always said, 'cause
she's the one that'll keep our little heads down,
and will keep us humble. She's like, "There're a
million Craig and Michelle "and Baracks out there, "it's just our stories don't get told." We get caricatured because
of the color of our skin, because of fear, because
of a whole lot of stuff. Because we don't know each other. We think that this family,
this beautiful portrait was the portrait of everybody
in our neighborhood, and of all of our family members. This was not unique. Everyone we knew got up every day and did what they were supposed to. They held down jobs, they
kept their lawns mowed. They strived to give
their kids good values and access to better things, which is one of the reasons we moved from Martin Luther King Drive
to 74th and Euclid, because my mom wanted us
to have access to then what were better schools. But, unbeknownst to us,
we grew up in the period, as I write, called White Flight. That, as families like ours,
upstanding families like ours, who were doing everything we
were supposed to do and better, as we moved in, white folks moved out. Because, they were afraid of
what our families represented. And, I always stop there
when I talk about this out in the world, because
I wanna remind white folks that, y'all were running from us. (Isabel laughing)
(audience laughing) - This family? - This family. - Yeah. (laughs) - This family, with all the
values that you read about. - Yeah. - You were running from us. And, you still running. Because, we're no different
than the immigrant families that are moving in,
the families in Pilsen, the families that are coming from other places
(audience applauding) to try to do better. But, because we can so easily
wash over who we really were because of the color of our skin, because of the texture of our hair, that's what divides countries. - Artificially, as well. - Artificial things that
don't even touch on the values that people bring to life. And so, yeah, I feel a sense of injustice. And, you know this when you're young, you know people are
running from you, you know? And, you can see it. You can see it, all of a sudden, 'cause we grew up with
friends of all races, when we first moved in. Rachel Dempsey and Susan Yacker and... You had friends of all
races, we played together. There were no gang fights, there were no territorial battles. But yet, one by one,
they packed their bags and they ran from us. And, they left communities in shambles. So, when you hear Theaster talking about the respect that's in community,
that history that's there, especially in Chicago,
especially on the South Side, we were a part of creating that history. And, a lot of people walked away from it. They disinvested. - Disinvested. - And, when we were little,
we knew that was happening. - You could feel it? - You could feel it.
- It's hard, yeah. - You could feel people
disinvesting in you. You could feel it in the schools. - And, you could feel it in the parks. There were parks that... I mean, we lived right across the street from Rosenblum Park, and you could see it slowly progressing from this place that we all met up to play. I mean, everybody in the
neighborhood met at the park, and this was back before Title IX, and the girls would be on
the playground jumping rope, and the boys would be
on the basketball court or on the baseball diamond. - And, the courts were a dangerous place, as far as I was concerned,
'cause that was where all the hoodlums like
Charles and them would go. (audience laughing) - Charles and them. - And, I would be like,
"Dad, you letting him go "to the courts?" (Isabel laughing)
(audience laughing) And, he would take his little basketball and go disappear on the other side where people were drinking
out of plastic bottles. (audience laughing) I thought
it was a dangerous place. (audience laughing) - Yeah, so did my mom, she
thought it was so dangerous that after every game I had
to come home and check in. So, the park was probably-- - He's alive. - A court--
- All right, get in this game. - The park was a quarter of a mile from the back of our house. So, after each game I had to run home, yell up at the porch-- - "I'm alive!"
- "Mom, I'm alive!" (audience laughing) "I'm okay!" (Isabel laughing) And then, I'd run back for the next game. But, you slowly saw these parks where we used to play in the
sandbox when we were this age, we played in the sandbox. And then, each year, you'd
find more and more bottles, more and more glass broken. And, it was like people
didn't care about the parks, they didn't care about
where we went to play. - Draining away of resources
and energy, and ultimately-- - I mean, the parks in Chicago,
when we were growing up, that was a gathering place. - Absolutely. - Everybody had a community park, and then there was a bigger park. Our local park was Rosenblum, but then we went to day
camp at Rainbow Beach Park. Because, first of all, we couldn't afford fancy little programs, so
you got that Y t-shirt, that white t-shirt with Rainbow Day Camp. (Isabel laughing) And, we got like a baloney sandwich, we got pushed on the bus
and sent down to the beach (Isabel laughing) to play. - Yeah, but that was fun. - It was some good stuff.
- That was really good stuff. - That's fantastic. - That was our first competition, because every park would
have like an Olympics, right? So, you'd have the hundred meter dash, and then you'd have the hurdles. And then, you'd have to try
out for the softball team. That was when I got my jock on. - Yeah, yeah. - I'd get my first ribbons. - I know, you all think that
she's not really the athlete, that I'm the athlete in the family, she is actually the athlete in the family. She won all the ribbons. (audience laughing) And, they were all blue ribbons, which were first place. - Of course. (Isabel laughing)
(audience laughing) - Before we move to the next slide, I did wanna ask you about
one aspect of your family that truly is an example
of how character building and cohesiveness and
planning and discipline are part of many, many
African American families, and that has to do with
how you would end up going every place early. I loved the story of that,
and how and why you did that. (Michelle laughing) - Well, again, it gets
back to my dad, right? Because he was infirm,
he wanted to make sure that he was never the reason why we would be late for anything. - Yeah. - And, he would always
be the first one ready. And me, who absolutely adored my dad, I would be the second person ready. And, it got to a point where if we had to be somewhere at 5:00, and it took us a half
an hour to get there, he would be ready at 4:00, so we could be ready to go at 4:30. But then, he would start to say, once he got ready at 4:00,
"Are you guys ready?" to my mom and my sister,
and they'd be like, "No, you said we're leaving at 4:30." (Michelle laughing) And, he would continually
back the time up. But, that's just an aside. But, we spent a lot of
time getting places early. And, just like this morning,
we stayed together at the hotel and they told me to be ready at 9:25. I was there at 9:10, 9:15. (Isabel laughing)
(audience laughing) - And, that's on time for us, so... - And, she wasn't ready. (Isabel laughing)
(audience laughing) - I didn't have to be ready until 9:45. See, these are the
conversations that we have that are the result of having a father, where time was important. See, I don't do anything late. I think eight years in the White House, my staff will tell you, Tina
Chin is over there laughing. It's like, we do not do late. And, I have a husband who learned better (Isabel laughing)
(audience laughing) about that. You know, he was... - He's on Hawaii time. (audience laughing) - It's like, "Dude, dude,
you are just starting "to get ready, and we're leaving at 4:30?" It's like, so, that all
comes from my father. Because, being on time was a
reflection of control for him. When you're walking with a disability, this was before the ADA,
this was before there were access ramps and things like that. Can you imagine, my father
thinking when he's going to one of Cray's games,
"Where am I gonna park? "How far do I have to walk? "Where am I gonna sit? "Will I have to climb up the bleachers? "But, if I get there early..." 'Cause, he was gonna be at every game. He was the dad at everything. He was driving other kids from
the West Side to league games because all the kids
who didn't have parents could count on my dad
to be at every practice that he could, if he wasn't on a shift. So, he knew every gym, he
knew every parking space. We didn't see it as that, I
think, when we were younger, it was just, "Dad, come on, chill out." (Isabel laughing) But now, in hindsight, we
realize that his disability, because he didn't wanna be the excuse for us to miss out or
to not have something, because of something he couldn't do. So, he accommodated for us, and taught us the importance of respect for other people's time. Respect for other people's abilities. It doesn't matter that you're First Lady of the United States, if you've got a room full
of people waiting for you, and you told them you
were gonna start at 7:00, well doggone it, their
time means something. Who knows what it took for
them to get into that space, to get in those chairs. (audience applauding) That's just how we think. - It's also a reflection of the fact that there's a reality, and
then there's a stereotype. CP time is not always the time. - Good, oh, I don't
even know those people. (Isabel laughing)
(audience laughing) (Michelle laughing) - So, we're gonna move to the next slide. We're gonna move up in time. And, here we are, we're at Princeton now. We're at Princeton. - There's an ---
- Craggy Craig. Wasn't that your D.J. name? - Yeah, that was my D.J. name. But, just look at the juxtaposition of these two pictures here. (Isabel laughing)
(audience laughing) This is how it was at Princeton. You have my sister in front of the library.
- The library. (Isabel laughing)
(audience laughing) - And, you have me,
getting ready for a party. (Isabel laughing)
(audience laughing) (Michelle laughing) But, you graduated. - I did. (audience laughing) I did. (Michelle laughing) - I do wanna ask, given the timeframe, what would you be playing to get everybody out
on the floor to dance? - So, to just listening music, or just... - To get them on the floor-- - Get them on the floor, dancing? - Yes, as a-- - You guys remember, ♪ Good times ♪ (audience laughing) Yeah? ♪ We are the good times ♪ (Isabel laughing)
(audience laughing) ♪ Are you bleh bleh bleh ♪ - Well, the young people
in there are like, "What?" - Yeah, they're like,
"Please stop, please stop." (Isabel laughing)
(audience laughing) - What's that? And, that song had a good break in it, so if you're DJing, you
could just play the break back and forth, and
people'd be going, "Ah!" (Isabel laughing)
(audience laughing) Run to the dance floor,
and stay on for 20 minutes. (Isabel laughing)
(audience laughing) - That was when we had records, y'all. - Yeah, you see those
things in the crates, those are called records. (laughs) (Isabel laughing)
(audience laughing) No digital DJing there. - They're now artifacts
from a different century. (Isabel laughing)
(audience laughing) And, you both ended up
majoring in sociology. Was that a coincidence,
or how did that happen? - Well, I'll start
since I was there first. (Isabel laughing)
(Michelle laughing) I started as an electrical engineer. And, that doesn't work too well when you're trying to play basketball on the basketball team. So, lab was the same time as practice, and I had to move things around. And then, my midterm grades
really were the reason why. (audience laughing) I got a C, two Ds and an F. - It's all coming out, now. - Yes. (Isabel laughing)
(audience laughing) And, I thought I was in over my head. And, I needed to find
something that suited me more. So, I took a few courses. And, I ended up taking
this wonderful course called Sociology of the Family. And, that is how I ended
up majoring in sociology, which is more my personality. And then, when my sister came there, I don't know why she majored in sociology. She's way smarter than I am. (Isabel laughing)
(audience laughing) - Sociology isn't a gut major,
what are you talking about? - No, it isn't. It's not a gut major. - It's not engineering
at Princeton, but... - It's not engineering. - And, for me, I wasn't so much following in Craig's
footsteps, I think for me... So, we are that family where
the study of human beings, it's like, that's what we
did at the kitchen table. We were breaking down
Uncle X and Cousin Y, (Isabel laughing) and why did this happen? And, why is that teacher so crazy? I mean, because our
parents always helped us sort of gain context in the world, little did they know, with
a sociological analysis of our environment. I mean, part of the way
we understood people and developed empathy was
really because our parents had a keen sense of people and context, and human behavior. I write about how I understood better my paternal grandfather
Dandy, who was a crank at the time. - That's being nice. - That was being nice,
but he was nicer to us as grandkids, because he was less uptight by the time he was a grandfather. - Mellowed? - He had mellowed out. But, understanding his journey in life, understanding the context
of being yet another brilliant black man from the south, who was coming north to achieve more, but to only find that
because of segregation, discrimination, racism, that he could only be a postal worker. That he couldn't afford an education, that he couldn't get
into any of the unions because of the color of his skin. That was the story of so
many black men in our family who were limited, who couldn't
be a regular cab driver, had to be a jitney cab driver. Couldn't work in the carpenter union, 'cause you couldn't get a card, so you had to be a jack-laid carpenter, not getting benefits. I mean, that is the legacy
of racism in America, and how it affects
people who are displaced because of it. That was my family, and
fortunately I had parents who helped us understand all of that. And, understanding behavior and context, and what disappoints people. We were little mini sociologists. - Already. - Sitting on 74th and Euclid. So, naturally... 'Cause also, in Princeton,
you have to write a Junior paper and a Senior thesis. So, you also know that if you
have to do all that writing, you better pick something that
you feel passionately about. And, the study of people
was something for me, that I knew I could go
on and on and on about. So, and it helped that
Craig was a Soc major, 'cause he also knew the
professors to avoid, and the people to... You still have those tips, you know? - There were no professors to avoid. (Isabel laughing)
(audience laughing) In case they're... - Oh, if any of them are here? - Yeah. - I don't think any of
them are alive, actually. (Isabel laughing)
(audience laughing) We are now that old. (Isabel laughing)
(audience laughing) - One last thing about this, how did you interact when
you were at Princeton? Did you hang out together? Obviously, you went to the games. What was it that you... How did you interact? How did you spend time
with each other, or not? - Okay, let's see what you're gonna say. (Isabel laughing)
(audience laughing) - I thought we interacted just fine. (audience laughing) - We did! - Yeah. - We always got along. But, we had very separate
lives, that's what I mean. Because, that's how mom raised us. She was always like,
"You are not watching, "you are not the keeper
of your little sister. "You go to school, you focus, "don't be trying to keep up with her." And, she was like, "Don't
try to keep up with you, "don't get in his way." So, we gave each other our space. - Isabel, there was
some backstory to this. Because, growing up, if you
looked at that first picture, when I looked worried, I was
probably worried about her. Or, I was worried about something. - You were worried about something. He was a worried first-born child. - And, my mom-- - Thinking deeply about things. - I was a worrier.
- Yeah. - I was a worrier. And, mom was just like, "Do
not go following her around." (Isabel laughing)
(audience laughing) "Let her do her thing." And, you know, freshman
year, her freshman year, I wanted to make sure she was comfortable. - Did you hover? - I didn't hover.
- Okay. (audience laughing) Outwardly. (Isabel laughing)
(audience laughing) - Outwardly. - I didn't outwardly hover. But, I had that big brother hover, so... - Big brother hover. - If anybody was interested,
they had to come see me first. (audience laughing) - Which was... So, imagine how annoying that would be.
- She had no social life. (Isabel laughing)
(audience laughing) From the opposite sex,
just because I was there. - Oh, that's Craig's sister,
it's like, "Oh, yes." - Yeah. - I grew up my whole
life as Craig's sister. (Isabel laughing) Now the tables have turned. (Isabel laughing)
(audience laughing) (audience applauding) She's paying me back in spades. (Isabel laughing)
(audience laughing) - He can't even get through an airport. It's like, "You look like..." - I can't go anywhere with this face. (Isabel laughing)
(audience laughing) And then, they're gonna
come up and tell me, "Hey, you remember in Chapter Six?" (Isabel laughing)
(audience laughing) (Michelle laughing) - But, anyway. (Isabel laughing)
(audience laughing) Back to Princeton, the other
thing I wanna point out as we're talking about neighborhood and community and home,
going to Princeton, for me, was probably one of the
smartest decisions that I made. Because, what I didn't know
that I was getting into by going to one of the ivyest of the Ivies was sort of the isolation of being one of a few black students, and black students from an
urban environment like Chicago. We didn't come from a legacy
of college going folks. So, there is a level of isolation that you feel when you're
one of just a handful. And, having family,
literally family there, helped me adjust, or it
helped me feel in times when I would feel like an other yet again. Not only otherized in my
neighborhood as people ran from me, but then to go to a top college where some black kids would get stopped. Craig was in a different position, because he was a star athlete, and we all know how that goes. You a black athlete, "Oh,
you're my buddy, we wanna..." The boosters or--
- You see, she's looking at Charles
when she says that. - Well, but you all know the difference. You get treated differently
as a black athlete, because you scoring all the points, and everybody's cheering you on. But, the other black
boys who are not athletes get stopped and get
patted down at a party, or people cross the street from. I came in under the
wonderful shadow of a star at Princeton, which made a path that would not have been made for me, and it would've made it harder for me to matriculate and succeed. So, home, we learned to
create home wherever we were. So, what we learned
from Princeton is like, you don't go to Princeton and
leave the South Side behind. Oh, no, no, you take
the South Side with you. (Isabel laughing)
(audience laughing) Up into Princeton. Because, that's your story. That is your value. And, there're a lot of kids
who go to these schools who believe the the only
way to succeed is to break from what they know. My experience is that those were the kids who didn't make it through in four years. We had kids that came from my school, but some tried to just assimilate. And, when you're assimilating,
and you have no foundation, you've got no place to go
where it just feels safe, where you're not always proving yourself. Because, every time
you're the only black kid in one of those lecture halls or precept, you're always, you feel like
you're proving yourself. And, that gets exhausting. And, you need a place, you need to be able to go to the party where you'll hear music that you like, where people won't be
like, "Are those braids? "What is that that you're
doing with your hair?" (Isabel laughing)
(audience laughing) Even the way we partied at
Princeton as black students were different from the
way the white kids partied. Those kids would be drinking kegs. I hadn't heard about a keg
until I got to Princeton. And then, you'd smell it every weekend, all up and down the hallway,
just beer everywhere. We weren't really drinking beer. Black kids just wanted to
dance, they wanted to party. Maybe do a little somethin'
somethin', but, you know. (Isabel laughing)
(audience laughing) Here or there. Everybody wasn't all get... Yeah, he didn't know what that was. - I don't know what that is.
- Yes, he does. (Isabel laughing)
(audience laughing) Yes, he does, mom. (Isabel laughing)
(audience laughing) Don't be frontin' up here. - I'm a good kid. (Isabel laughing)
(audience laughing) (Michelle laughing) - We're gonna go to the next slide. (Isabel laughing)
(audience laughing) Aww! Beautiful day. - Yeah. Hard day. - Yeah. - What comes to mind? It's the best day of your life. - That my dad wasn't there
to walk me down the aisle. - Yeah. - And, that he had just passed. And, so it was bittersweet. And, I was marrying the man that I love. You know that guy, Barack Obama. (Isabel laughing)
(audience laughing) This is where he shows up on the scene. But, dad had died, how short? It was...? - The spring before. Yeah, so you guys got married in October, so it would've been... And, you know, it's so funny, I don't remember the actual date. - Yeah, I block it out, too. - It was so traumatic when our dad died. And, you guys have to understand that this dude was the epitome
of dads in our mind, and-- - And, not just for us. I mean, we have some of our cousins here. - Our cousins are here, and our family. He was the person in the
family who was sort of, he wasn't the oldest, 'cause
we had our grandparents, but of the kids, he was
sort of the patriarch. And, people went to him for advice. And, they went to him for
jokes and comfort and solace, and all the things you
go to a patriarch for. And, it was so hard that people
would look at the sadness in me or my sister, and
their face would be sad looking at how sad we were. And so, you're reliving that grief. I mean, I'm thinking about it right now, and it's still really sad. But, that's only because
he had given us so much that helped us be where we were there, and where we are now. So, while I'm sad that he missed it all, I know somehow he didn't
really miss it all. - Yeah. He was there. Before you walked down the aisle, though, he had met your future husband. - Yeah, thank goodness,
he had met Barack Obama. And, gave Barack Obama his blessing. I believe. (Isabel laughing)
(audience laughing) No, he did. (laughs) Craig always has more jokes about this. - Well, it's not jokes, it's facts. (Isabel laughing)
(audience laughing) Because, you guys have heard this story that I've told a billion times, about how when she met Barack, she asked me to take him to
play basketball with my friends, to see what kind of character he had. And, I was like, "Well, hold up." - And, this is a tip, ladies, right? I mean, they can act all the way they act, be nice at dinner, but how
a man acts on the court in their sport, says a
lot about who they are. And, we were a basketball family. So, not only did I make sure
that he could actually play. 'Cause, there're people
who say they can plan, (audience laughing) and you're like... That says something too,
if you say you can play but you really can't. (audience laughing) That's a demerit. (Isabel laughing)
(audience laughing) So, he had to have the basketball test. - And, Miche had grown up
hearing my dad talk about how you can tell a guy's personality when he plays pick-up basketball. Now, how he knew this, I don't know, 'cause like I said, he was handicap, I don't even think he
played pick-up basketball, but he knew. He knew. And so, I was like, I can't
take him to play with me, I play with real dudes. (audience laughing) He'll never make it. And, she said, "Come
on, please, can't you? "Don't you have some guys
you can take him with?" And it's like, "All right." (audience laughing) So, I take him to play. And, to make a long story
short, this is what he did. He shot the ball when he shoulda shot it, he passed when he shoulda passed. He didn't call fouls all the time like some of you guys do out there, (Isabel laughing)
(audience laughing) that we hate playing with. But most of all, he didn't
just pass me the ball because I was Michelle's brother. And, that told me a lot. That told me a lot about him as a person. So, I reported that back to dad. (Michelle laughing)
(audience laughing) Before I told her. And, that helped sorta
grease the skids for him to come on in. (Isabel laughing)
(audience laughing) 'Cause you all... I don't know if she
wrote this in the book, but she didn't have a
whole lotta boyfriends. (audience laughing) - I did so! (audience laughing) - For any length of time. (Isabel laughing)
(audience laughing) Any length of time. - Now you're waiting for his
other book to come out, right? (Isabel laughing)
(audience laughing) - These dudes got 86ed quick, quick. - One was on the way to
Princeton, as I recall. - Oh, see?
- Yes. Okay, let's move on. - See? (Isabel laughing)
(audience laughing) That's why I was gonna write a book. Write a book, your business is out there. - Let's move on. Next slide. - But, I was happy to have my brother (Isabel laughing) walk me down the aisle, that's
the moral of that story. - Yeah, yeah. - No better substitute
than my big brother. - Aw, thanks. - So, now we are... - That is... You know, the funny thing,
that was the election night for Barack's U.S. senate run. And, that's the whole crew. But, it's interesting, it's kinda crazy that that's a normal shot for us. (Isabel laughing)
(Craig laughing) Election night in a hotel room somewhere. - How many photographs
are there like this? - There're so many, to
the point where our kids didn't feel like it was a thing. Election night just meant, we go somewhere where there
will be chicken fingers, kid TV on, all their
cousins will be invited, and it'll be a bunch of kids. Because, when you have kids
and you're in political office, you have to think about
making all of this stuff that is not kid-friendly, how
do you make it kid-friendly? And, family was always... For me, my family and my friends,
just as we did growing up, that's the heart of our life. So, we didn't do anything
without everybody coming, whether it was running
for the U.S. senate, or whether it was in the White House, or whether it was traveling. We always looked to our
friends and family to say, "You gotta come on this journey with us, "because you are our foundation. "We can't go high without that base." So, every election night, for Malia and Sasha all it meant was "We get to see Avery and Leslie. "We get to see our cousins." And, we usually had to stop them playing to let them know what the
results of whatever it was. And, they were always a little annoyed that they were being called
in for a photo session. - For a picture like this. (Isabel laughing) - They're just trying to...
It's like, "Are we done yet? "Can we go back in the kids
room, and can we play?" And so, these nights were
so familiar to all of them, which is kind of an odd
thing to have kids growing up in a political venue, even
for the presidential race. We were doing this so much, that I forgot through the primary process to fully explain the primary
process to the girls. Because, every primary victory
would be a celebration. Oh, it's "We won Iowa!" All right, balloons,
and everybody's there, and it's a hotel room. And it's like, "Woo, we're going on stage "to take a picture. "Okay, go back, go play." South Carolina. It was after South
Carolina, we came offstage and Malia was like,
"Is dad president yet?" (Isabel laughing)
(audience laughing) And, that's when you think, it's like, "Oh, yeah right, no, no." (Isabel laughing)
(audience laughing) And you could see her going, "Well, when is he gonna be president? "When does this end?" And it's like, good question. (Isabel laughing)
(audience laughing) You start thinking like, "Do I talk about the
electoral college to her? (audience laughing) "The popular vote, and
how primaries work?" So, I just said, "No, no,
there're gonna be a lot of these, "a lot of these, and I'll tell
you when it's the real one." (Isabel laughing)
(audience laughing) So, election night
(laughs), that big night where there's another
photograph like this, long, we're sitting there looking
at election returns. And, Malia and Sasha are
looking at the TV like, "When can we go back and play?" And then, it's called
that he's president elect. And, Malia looked at me, and I was like, "Now he's president." (Isabel laughing)
(audience laughing) (audience applauding) - So, this was one of many. And, Craig, you were always
there at these celebrations, because, family, again. - Yeah. No, we were at just about every one. Not all of the primaries because-- - Not all the primaries. - Some of us had jobs, so... (Isabel laughing)
(audience laughing) But, all the major elections,
we were there as a family. And, as Miche said, it was
just one of those things where I'm sitting there as now almost a... I'm an adult, right? But, I still can't believe (Isabel laughing) that my sister is married to the guy who's gonna be the next
President of the United States. - You still can't say like,
"The First Lady" can you? (Isabel laughing)
(audience laughing) - Just doesn't-- - My sister is married to the guy who's duh, duh, duh.
- It just doesn't roll off the tongue. - We'll work on that. (Isabel laughing)
(audience laughing) We're working on that. - It just doesn't roll off the tongue. First Lady. (crowd cheering)
(Isabel laughing) - Say it again!
- First Lady. - Say it again. One more time. - First Lady of the United States, FLOTUS. Just... (Isabel laughing)
(audience laughing) She's Craig's sister. (Isabel laughing)
(audience laughing) (Michelle laughing) - Does that make you First
Brother-in-Law, though? - That was really funny,
because everybody would say, "Does that make you brother,
First Brother, First this?" I was like, "No, I'm not
involved in that part. (Isabel laughing)
(audience laughing) "Just call me Craig." (Isabel laughing) - Your Highness, Sir. - Oh, no, that's hers. That's her now, she's the icon. (audience laughing)
(Isabel laughing) We're gonna go to the next slide (Michelle laughing)
(audience laughing) And, here we are. This is 2012. - Yeah, yeah. Oh, yeah that was after
the second election. - Or, 2013, actually. - Yeah.
- Yeah. No, wait, this was after the election 'cause everybody is there. - Yeah. - So, I think we did a lunch
after the inauguration, and this was in the, which... What room is that, Mel? Is that the state? That's the... (Mel mumbling) Oh, that's the Family Dining Room. Oh, good Lord, that was awhile ago. (Isabel laughing)
(audience laughing) And again-- - Is the paint in there yellow? - Well, it changed, we changed it. - Oh. - Because, that was the room where we put the Alma Thomas in. - Listen to us, like-- - The first African American-- - Is the paint in there yellow? - Yeah, I know. That's odd, that's odd. - That's-- - It's an odd set of
conversations we can have. - Yes. - But, that's again, all of
our family coming together. Barack's sister, her daughter. Our nieces, our nephews. It's like family... It was yet another strange
place for the Robinson family to end up, in the White House. So, what do you do? How do you survive the White House? How do you survive that
ascent and the bright light that is on you? The criticism and the
accolades and the expectations, what do you do? And, for us, it was what we normally did, we surrounded ourselves with our truth, with our community. We brought our family and the
South Side to the White House. - Yeah. (audience applauding) - The one thing that has always kept me, personally, grounded, and
I know Craig, is that, you have these ascents and you
go on these journeys in life and you meet people and you
dine with kings and queens, and you run football
organizations, or basketball. What do you do? - It's basketball. - I'm just messing with you. (laughs) - She's iconic. - Yeah. (laughs) And, what really matters are
the values that you're taught around that little kitchen table. Community and family
are the glue of it all. And, it doesn't matter how
high or how far you go, that if you really are rooted in a place, and the importance of
that place, it defines you and it defines everything you do. So, everything Barack and
I did in the White House was tied to what we
were taught in our homes by our parents, by our teachers, by our community, by our friends. Those sojourns into the park. You don't leave that,
you bring that with you. You have a responsibility
to take that with you. And, especially when you're the first. Because, many people
don't know our stories. And, being the first black First Family gave American and the
world an opportunity to see the truth of who we are as
black people, as others. That we are just as, and
oftentimes better than, (laughs) many of the people who doubt us. (audience applauding) - Yes. - But, our stories don't get told. So, our challenge,
especially for the fellows as we go out there is not to ever lose sight of that truth. The reason you're where
you are now is that you're bringing that story with you. You're not excusing it,
you're not apologizing for it, you're not redefining it. It is so important for that
to define everything you do, with pride, right? You show up in your places of truth with your full story intact. And, don't let anybody tell
you that it's not of value. 'Cause, we were poor kids, right? - Yeah. - We were working-class kids. We didn't have stuff. We didn't have title. We didn't have legacy. But, we had what was most important. We had family, we had
values, we had truth. We had honesty, we had
respect, we had empathy, we had compassion. That matters so much more than money. So much more than title. So much more than greed. And, we kill ourselves fighting for stuff that doesn't even matter. (audience applauding) But, you all, as young leaders, you're gonna rewrite that story, you're rewriting it everyday. Yeah, I'll stop ranting. - There's so much warmth
and love and realness and authenticity in that picture, in the most powerful space on the planet. How did you maintain that
connection to what was real? I mean, I'm assuming that the fact that everyone's gathered
around there is proof of that. And, how did you pass that
on, the South Side values to your own children? - Yeah, a lot of it was
keeping our family close. Keeping our friends close. Malia and Sasha lived in the White House longer than they lived anywhere. And, Barack and I had sort of, kind of as we were moving out, thinking about where we would relocate, so Chicagoans, one of the
reasons we were in D.C. is that that's where they grew up. I mean, they didn't ask to be
taken out of the South Side, they still identify as Chicagoans. Because, you know how Chicago is. (Isabel laughing) Your place, your neighborhood,
you're from a side. - Yeah. - You're a South Side, a West Side. You're from 74th and Euclid. You're from whatever high school. It has a meaning now. That, we know, because
that's where we grew up. But, our kids, that was their reality. So, we had to find a way to keep bringing that South Side into their lives. And, that came in the form
of mom leaving, reluctantly, for the time, and living
with us in the White House. Thanks to my brother,
who had to convince her, because as I've said before, even though I'm the former First Lady, he's still the favorite. (Isabel laughing)
(audience laughing) Mother.
- True story. Fact.
- His mother's like, "Mmm, Craig, where's Craig? "I love Craig, Craig's so
important, he's so wonderful." (audience laughing) It's like, "Yeah, yeah,
yeah, whatever, whatever." - Facts. (Isabel laughing) - We all love Craig, so much. (Isabel laughing)
(audience laughing) So, it was up to him to like, "You gotta convince her to do this." 'Cause, I'm asking and she's like, "Well, why would I wanna
live in the White House?" 'Cause, that's also very South Side. You don't want other people's stuff. You like your stuff, you know? (audience laughing) It's like, "Why would I wanna
live in the White House? "I like living on 74th and Euclid." (Isabel laughing)
(audience laughing) Mom, everything we did, it's like, "Why would I wanna go to China?" It's like, "I don't know. (Isabel laughing)
(audience laughing) "Just a new experience." - I love your mother. - "I don't need to meet the queen. "Didn't I meet the pope? "I met the pope once before." "Yes, but he's coming back, so... (Isabel laughing)
(audience laughing) "This is another pope." Everything with mom, it's like,
let me try and explain why this is a once in a lifetime experience that you might wanna get on Air Force One and come with us. (Isabel laughing)
(audience laughing) When I had trouble, I
always went to Craig. And, you ask yo' mother (Isabel laughing)
(audience laughing) if she would come with us. And, she would do it when he asked. (Isabel laughing)
(audience laughing) - Isabel, if I could
say one thing that I-- - Oh! (laughs)
(audience laughing) - No, no, I didn't mean it
that way. (Isabel laughing) About this picture, and something that doesn't get talked about a lot with my dear sister and Barack. If you take a look at that picture, look at the waitstaff, the butlers. - Yes. - They're actually enjoying themselves. - Yes. (Isabel laughing)
(audience laughing) - And, I will tell you why. Because, this lady right
here, and her family, made those folks, along with my mom, made them all feel like family. And, I will tell you, every
time I came to the White House, and I should have counted
the number of times. See, this is one of
those things you forget when you're doing it, it's so exciting. I shoulda kept a diary
every time I went there. But, these guys raved about them. And, it just goes to show you what values, what character they had,
where they would share it and treat the waitstaff and the butlers and the people who cleaned,
and all the service people throughout, I mean,
there's hundreds of people, they treated them just
like they would treat some dignitary who would
visit the White House. And, it is something that
should be noted a lot, and it is something that has made me proud of the fact that you
all are the way you are. (audience applauding) - One last thing about this photograph is, I believe this is the last such dinner that you would have
had, in the White House, for that occasion. For the occasion of an election. - The last election. Thank you, Jesus. (audience laughing) - So, I'd like to-- - So, I was really happy. (Isabel laughing)
(audience laughing) - You were already
beginning, I would imagine, to be thinking about your next steps. - Well, the interesting
thing about a second term, and we have staff there,
second term is like freedom, in a way that, you know,
it's hard to describe if you haven't been in there. Because, first term is fraught with the next election coming up. And, you really, in a presidential, you're running two years in. So, you really have two
years to try to make a mark, because you don't know whether
you'll get four more years. And so, while even in my
ambivalence about politics, you start thinking, "We just got started." And, you start thinking
about all the people who made sacrifices and
uprooted their lives in their administration. We weren't the only ones that moved. We weren't the only ones that had kids who had to relocate. People who gave up careers
to make less money, because government always pays less, to be in the eye of the storm. And, you start thinking
that people are just now rolling up their sleeves
and making headway. And, you feel the weight of not just all that needs to be done in the country, but you don't wanna disappoint
this entire administration that you've brought along with you, because they have faith. So, the first term is
fraught in so many ways because you're... My husband was running the country, fixing the country, and
running for re-election. It's not unique. Every first term president
experiences that, but until you sort of
understand all that's happening in the third and the fourth year, there was a lot of tension. And also, there's the angst of donors. Love you all, but, bad
debate and it's like, "Oh, my God, what's he doing?" You know, everybody's like
a backroom campaign manager. (audience laughing) And, that's stressful. 'Cause, they'll call him and be like, "Well, let's tell you what can you do, "let me give you the five
things I think from my couch, "or my CEO suite that "I think you could be doing differently." (Isabel laughing)
(audience laughing) It's annoying, okay? (Isabel laughing)
(audience laughing) Not always helpful. As much as you know about coffee, or whatever it is you make, (Isabel laughing)
(audience laughing) this is different. (Isabel laughing)
(audience laughing) So, you've got that. And then, you win second
term, and it's a huge relief, because you feel like,
"Now, we can do the work. "Now, we can really... "We can stop worrying
about optics and elections "and poll numbers, and we can really start "speaking truth to power,
start really rolling up, "getting into the meat of
some of these initiatives "that we had started." So, there's a freedom that
comes with a second term, and not every president
gets a second term. So, this was the beginning
of, "Now we can work!" "We can work, we can stop
worrying about being the first, "the only, this is our last election, "you won't see us again. "Don't like us, don't vote for
us, we're just gonna work." And, it's how we should
all approach our jobs, especially out there making change. You can't worry about the
legacy while you're in it. It isn't about the legacy,
it's about the work. And, many of you all
aren't elected officials, some of you will be,
but the luxury of just rolling up your sleeves,
not worrying about what people are saying
about your initiatives and your programs and do
what you think is right on a daily basis, that's
all you can do, is show up and do the work and let
your work speak for you. That's all we learned. It's like, as people
doubted us coming through, are you president material? Can you really make the
grade, can you cut it? What do you do in those instances? All you can do is put your
head down and do the work, and let the work, your
truth, speak for yourself. I can't make people not
afraid of black people. I don't know what's going on, I can't explain what's
happening in your head, but maybe if I show up
everyday as a human, a good human doing wonderful things, loving my family, loving your kids, taking care of things that I care, that maybe, just maybe,
that work will pick away at the scabs of your discrimination. Maybe that slowly will unravel it. That's all we have. Because, we can't do it for them, 'cause they're broken. (laughs) Their brokenness in how they see us is a reflection of their brokenness. And, you can't fix that. All you can do is the work. (audience applauding) - It's a monumental moment. And, speaking of the work,
the next slide speaks to the next stage. - The next chapter. - Yes. - Yeah. - What comes to mind? This is the future. - Yeah, we were talking about
this in the car ride over. - Yeah, yeah. This has been, in our
family and growing up, this has been an underutilized park. For those of you who don't
know, Jackson Park was, for us, and we lived maybe a mile from it. And, I tell you, they
have a golf course there. - Which means you have to golf. - You have to golf. I mean, you couldn't just walk
around on the golf course. But, this is one of the parks, like the parks we talked
about that we lived near, that people just didn't congregate at. There wasn't like an outdoor access where you did stuff in this park. - On a regular basis. - On a regular basis. - And, it wasn't that close. It was not the place that
was the closest to you, of all the parks. - It was the closet big park. - Big park. - Like, Washington Park and-- - Yeah. - Douglass Park and-- - Grant Park.
- Grant Park. Those are big parks where
people come and they congregate, and they have resources
thrown in to do stuff. This was one of those parks
that had a lot of real estate, but there wasn't a whole lot
going on, unless you golfed. Unless you golfed. And, I didn't start golfing
until I was an adult, and didn't even realize
that people actually really used it for golfing. And, there was a small
park district building, like every park district has, that I played one
basketball tournament in. So, let's say, six games, and that was my only
exposure to Jackson Park. So, I cannot wait! - Well, so there's power in the selection of Jackson Park. Just like Barack and I don't
do things incidentally, I mean, there's a strategy. Barack's presidential
library could have been anywhere in the world,
because there's so many people who feel like he is their president, all over the world, all right? So, New York wanted it, Hawaii wants it. Because, it's also an economic engine. Because, it will be a
visited presidential library, because it's gonna be alive. It's a first. So, we had to think, where
do we put this resource? 'Cause, it will be a resource. Well, what better place to
put it than in our backyard. Jackson Park is like that juxtaposition of everything in our lives. South Shore to the south,
Hyde Park to the north, that's where we raised our kids, where our kids went to school. Where I worked at the
University of Chicago, the hospital where he was born, at the University of Chicago. I was born further down
the way at Provident. I don't know why, but it's okay. (Isabel laughing)
(audience laughing) (Craig laughing) It's all good hospitals. I'm sure it had something
to do with insurance, or something like that. (audience laughing)
- And, you turned out okay. (Isabel laughing) - But, the University
of Chicago, all of it, Hyde Park High School, which
is an important high school on the South Side. Mount Carmel, where he
went to high school, is right next to Hyde Park. It's where we bought our first home. It's where our current home exists. We know these neighbor... We feel like even thought we live in D.C., for the reasons why I
discussed, this is our home. But also, this is a part of the city that hasn't felt the same level
of investment as Grant Park. The city invested billions
of dollars in creating a wonderful museum campus, right? I don't know, for those
of you who don't know, they moved Lake Shore Drive. (laughs) They moved Lake Shore Drive,
moved it all the way around to create open spaces,
so that people visiting the Field Museum, the Aquarium, the... - Planetarium. - Planetarium, wouldn't have
to walk across the street. It'd create a hub, more park space. Well, wow! Wouldn't that be a powerful
vision on the South Side, with the Museum of Science and Industry? And, the Obama Presidential Center, where there would be
programing and life brought to the lagoon, so that there
would be more than just periodic uses of the park,
but it would be a place where people around the
world would come to visit and see, not just Grant Park,
but the South Side of Chicago? Well, why would we try to do
this anywhere else but here? (audience applauding) Why? So, the vision for this isn't just about the Obama Presidential Center, it's about the South Side of Chicago. It's about our neighborhood and community, and it's about bringing life to a park that may be protected (laughs)
and loved by its friends, (audience laughing) but it's not used by the community, (audience murmuring) the people who live there. (audience applauding) So, while I love a tree, you know? Our parks are public spaces
for people to live in, and to breathe, and for children to play. And, that's a vision for what we have by bringing the Obama Presidential
Center to Jackson Park. That, hopefully we have
the support of the city and every entity in the
state to make this happen. (audience applauding) I hope that this is something that the community feels is an asset. And, it requires the trust of knowing that Barack and I wouldn't bring some crap up into our neighborhood. We just wouldn't do it. - Right. (audience applauding) - There's gotta be a level of trust, that our intent and our
purpose is not just for us. 'Cause, I don't need a library. He doesn't need a library. But, the community needs an
entity that's a gathering place, a place for lifting up young people, a place that is vibrant
and alive, and is utilized. And, if we have to do it anywhere, we should do it in our hometown. - And, I think that's a
perfect segue to a video. (audience applauding) We have a video of a preview
of what it will look like. - Dun, duh, duh. - There's a video. (audience chattering) (lively music) - Everywhere we look, there's
history to reflect on. And, history to be made. That's what the Obama
Presidential Center is all about, honoring the stories of
those who've brought us to where we are today, and
bringing people together to chart an even brighter future. Here on Chicago's South Side,
the Obama Presidential Center will offer old friends and new visitors the chance to explore
a world-class museum, and gather together for
celebrations of all kinds. It will add to the
vitality of Jackson Park. Adding new gardens, a larger playground, and scenic paths for an early morning jog or an afternoon stroll. And, it will do all
that while creating jobs and driving economic
opportunity here in Chicago, and enriching the
landscape of the South Side that Michelle and I have
called home for so long. I like to think of the Obama
Presidential Center Museum as a tribute to what
happens when ordinary people come together to do extraordinary things. Inside, exhibits will explore the fullness of the American story, from the promise of our founding documents to the movements that challenged us to live up to them. We'll tell the story of
the volunteers who powered our campaign toward history, and we'll examine the
eight years of progress, setback, and hope that followed. You'll be able to walk
through a full-scale replica of the Oval Office, relive the moments that defined my presidency,
experience the impact of our history-making First Lady, and check out a few of her dresses, too. (audience laughing) And, a top museum,
you'll be able to take in some stunning panoramic
views of the city we love. We designed the Forum
Building with a focus on the creativity and imagination that's always defined this city. Here, we'll host programs
and leadership trainings that will support and
connect the next generation of change makers here in Chicago to those from all around the world. And, we'll open the newest branch of the Chicago Public Library, and on the roof, a
garden, similar to the one that Michelle planted at the White House, and will even have a
few beehives for honey. At the center of it all, a public plaza will welcome
visitors for live performances and community festivals. A huge green lawn will be
open to throw a Frisbee or spread out a blanket. And, once it turns cold, we'll open up the best sledding hill
in the neighborhood. Of course, it wouldn't be
the Obama Presidential Center without a place to play some ball. At the Program, Athletic,
and Activities Center, you'll be able to join a pick-up game or a dance class. That's the Obama Presidential Center, a place to not only come
together to get active, but to take action. It couldn't be more important to us that it's happening right
here, on the South Side. This is the place Michelle
was born and raised. It's where I got my start
as a community organizer. It's where we bought our
first house, built our family, and took the first steps on a journey that's still taking shape today. It's the place we found our purpose. Now, we hope to give something back. Because, you never know where something that starts on the South Side might lead. (audience applauding) - We can't wait. Thank you so much for this morning, thank you for the memories, and thank you for all that you have done for America, and particularly
for African Americans, in representing us to the world. - Thank you, Isabel.
- Your entire family. - Thank you, all. (audience applauding) - Thanks, Craig. - Thank you. (audience applauding)
