--- title: Michelle Obama On the Pressure of Being 'The First' description: Michelle Obama discussed the pressure of being "the first" while speaking at the American Library Association's annual conference Friday. canonical: https://time.com/5320323/michelle-obama-ala-conference/ author: Jamie Ducharme article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2018-06-23T15:53:18.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-23T20:39:56.480Z article:section: Politics og:title: Michelle Obama On the Pressure of Being 'The First' og:description: 'Making mistakes was not an option' og:url: https://time.com/5320323/michelle-obama-ala-conference/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt002ac683167eb016/698933bb929fad2becbf0e66/michelle-obama-ala.jpeg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: 2018 ALAAnnual Conference & Exhibition og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Michelle Obama On the Pressure of Being 'The First' twitter:description: 'Making mistakes was not an option' twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt002ac683167eb016/698933bb929fad2becbf0e66/michelle-obama-ala.jpeg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # 'Making Mistakes Was Not an Option.' Michelle Obama on the Pressure of Being 'The First'  by [Jamie Ducharme](/author/jamie-ducharme/)  ## Jamie Ducharme Ducharme is a contributor to TIME. Jun 23, 2018 3:53 PM CUT  Former First Lady Michelle Obama speaks during the Opening General Session of the 2018 American Library Association Annual on June 22, 2018. Former First Lady Michelle Obama speaks during the Opening General Session of the 2018 American Library Association Annual on June 22, 2018.Erika Goldring—WireImage  by [Jamie Ducharme](/author/jamie-ducharme/)  ## Jamie Ducharme Ducharme is a contributor to TIME. Jun 23, 2018 3:53 PM CUT Former First Lady Michelle Obama opened up about race and the elevated expectations that come with being “the first” while speaking at the American Library Association’s annual conference in New Orleans on Friday. “Barack and I knew very early that we would be measured by a different yardstick,” Obama said of her husband’s tenure as the nation’s first black president during a conversation with Librarian of Congress Dr. Carla Hayden. “Making mistakes was not an option for us. Not that we didn’t make mistakes, but we had to be good — no, we had to be outstanding — at everything we did….When you’re the first, you’re the one that’s laying the red carpet down for others to follow.” Obama, who spoke during the conference’s opening general sessions, also emphasized the need to look beyond a person’s color. “It’s just a shame that sometimes people will see me, and they will only see my color, and then they’ll make certain judgments about that,” she said. “That’s dangerous, for us to dehumanize each other in that way. We are all just people.” Obama’s appearance came a few months before the release of [her upcoming memoir, _Becoming_](http://time.com/5290331/michelle-obama-new-book-becoming-cover/ "undefined"), which explores her journey from the South Side of Chicago to the White House, as well as her [years as a successful lawyer, executive and mother](http://time.com/money/5179179/michelle-obama-work-life-balance/ "undefined"). 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