--- description: Michelle Obama is one of the leaders, innovators, activists, entertainers, athletes and artists who defined the last century. title: Michelle Obama: 100 Women of the Year image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltf522cd2adcc8b34b/698a0ae716d8847f22c37ced/social-2008_Michelle-Obama.jpg?branch=production --- * [World](/section/world/) ## World Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # 2008: Michelle Obama Mar 5, 2020 12:09 PM CUT  Nigel Dickson—Contour/Getty by [TIME Staff](/author/time-staff/) ## TIME Staff Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Mar 5, 2020 12:09 PM CUT [Michelle Obama](https://time.com/collection/100-most-influential-people-2019/5567670/michelle-obama/ "undefined") spent 2008 campaigning for her husband Barack, experiencing a level of scrutiny that was undeniably linked to her race and would persist for years to come. That August, she delivered a stirring address at the Democratic National Convention in which she talked about the “improbable journey” from her working-class Chicago upbringing to that very stage. Speaking of her young daughters, she shared that “their future—and all our children’s future—is my stake in this election.”  Michelle Obama waves after addressing the 2008 Democratic National Convention in Denver, August 25, 2008.Shawn Thew—EPA/Shutterstock After her husband won, she gracefully stepped into the role of First Lady as the first black woman to do so. Focused on social issues like education and healthy living, she was deeply committed to the well-being of our nation and to the future of its people, especially its children. Her charisma, confidence and openness created an approachable air to the White House. Though her days as First Lady are over, [her influence hasn’t waned](https://time.com/5421731/michelle-obama-white-house/ "undefined"). Her lived experience sends the message that through kindness, diligence, intelligence and honesty, you can effectively change the world. If she can do it, you can do it too. _—Zazie Beetz_ _Beetz is an actor_ --- _This article is part of_ [_100 Women of the Year_](https://time.com/100-women-of-the-year/ "undefined")_, TIME’s list of the most influential women of the past century. Read more_ [_about the project_](https://time.com/5793734/time-100-women-of-the-year-issue/ "undefined")_, explore the_ [_100 covers_](https://time.com/5793732/time-100-women-of-the-year-covers/ "undefined") _and sign up for our_ [_Inside TIME newsletter_](https://cloud.newsletters.time.com/newsletters?newsletter%5Fname=INSIDE%5FTIME&source=article-woy-footer "undefined") _for more._ ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5793778/michelle-obama-100-women-of-the-year/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5793778/michelle-obama-100-women-of-the-year/"},"headline":"2008: Michelle Obama","datePublished":"2020-03-05T12:09:49.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-24T08:22:00.615Z","description":"Michelle Obama is one of the leaders, innovators, activists, entertainers, athletes and artists who defined the last century.","url":"https://time.com/5793778/michelle-obama-100-women-of-the-year/","keywords":["Women of the Year"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltf522cd2adcc8b34b/698a0ae716d8847f22c37ced/social-2008_Michelle-Obama.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"TIME Staff","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/time-staff/"}],"articleSection":"World","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltf522cd2adcc8b34b/698a0ae716d8847f22c37ced/social-2008_Michelle-Obama.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"SOCIAL - Women of the Year: 2008 Michelle-Obama","caption":"","creditText":"","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/world/","name":"World"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/5793778/michelle-obama-100-women-of-the-year/","name":"2008: Michelle Obama"}}]}] ```