Michelle Obama to speak in Winnipeg Sept. 24

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This article was published 09/09/2019 (2234 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Former U.S. first lady Michelle Obama is coming to Winnipeg, and fans won’t have to wait long to see her; tickets for the Sept. 24 event go on sale Tuesday.

“Arguably, she’s the most sought-after speaker in the world,” Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce president Loren Remillard said. “We’re just extremely pleased and honoured to bring her to Winnipeg… ecstatic that it was able to come together.”

The chamber has been negotiating to get Obama to Winnipeg since she her husband, Barack Obama, left the White House in January 2017.

During Barack Obama’s sold-out visit to Winnipeg in March, he was asked about his wife. “Michelle, as you may have heard, wrote a book. It’s doing OK,” Barack Obama quipped to the crowd of 13,500.

It took just 15 days for Becoming to become the top-selling book in the U.S. in 2018. More than 10 million people have bought a copy.

In the book, as in her speeches, Obama is open, candid and funny. She used appearances on late-night TV talk shows and viral videos to promote her own White House initiatives, which includes addressing childhood obesity, supporting veterans and their families, pushing for higher education and helping girls around the world to go school.

“She didn’t hold elected office, but through the power and force of her character and force of her vision, she’s been able to do remarkable things,” Remillard said.

The topic of Obama’s speech hasn’t been set, but Remillard expects it to include some of her touchstones, such as inclusivity, diversity and the empowerment of women and girls.

For Remillard, her message about youth empowerment hits close to home.

“As a father of two teenage boys, I think it’s important that her message, her efforts, don’t just speak to young women but speak to young people across the board. Her message is a powerful one that needs to be heard by more than just young women,” he said.

“Those are the kind of messages I want my children to embrace,” he said.

Tickets go on sale Sept. 10, and even though they start at $99 and the event is at noon on a Tuesday, Remillard warns people to act quickly or risk missing out on one of 15,000 seats.

“I know when those tickets go on sale, they will move very, very quickly,” Remillard said.

“This is a once-in-a lifetime opportunity for our community.”

The chamber has been hosting speakers for decades, not only to raise Winnipeg’s profile as a destination for the Obamas, but also to build community.

“She will electrify the audience,” Remillard said. “We hope that people will walk away from this event inspired, inspired to take action and inspire events on our community.”

After speaking in Winnipeg, she’ll head to Toronto for an evening event.

tvanderhart@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @tessavanderhart