Michelle Obama And Hillary Clinton Present International Women Of Courage Awards
WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama invoked his grandmother, single mother and two young daughters on Wednesday in creating a White House panel to advise him on issues facing women and girls.
Obama, standing with prominent members of his administration and with his wife sitting nearby, signed an executive order creating an across-the-government council designed to help Cabinet agencies and departments collaborate on ways to make sure women were provided opportunities offered to men.
"I sign this order not just as a president, but as a son, a grandson, a husband and a father because, growing up, I saw my mother put herself through school and follow her passion for helping others," Obama said. "But I also saw how she struggled to raise me and my sister on her own, worrying about how she'd pay the bills and educate herself and provide for us."
He said he signed the order to honor all the women who came before him, such as his grandmother who was a bank vice president but was denied promotions because of her gender. He said the fight for gender equality is far from over.
Late Wednesday afternoon, after Barack Obama announced the creation of a White House Council for Women and Girls, Hillary Clinton and Michelle Obama presented the State Department's Award for International Women of Courage to "seven female activists from Afghanistan, Guatemala, Iraq, Malaysia, Niger, Russia and Uzbekistan who have fought to end discrimination and inequality."
Secretary Clinton, by way of introduction, applauded Michelle Obama's "grace and wisdom" and called her "an inspiration to women and girls not only in the United States but around the world," and then reminded the audience that "the status of women and girls is a key indicator of whether progress is possible in a society."
Obama, standing with prominent members of his administration and with his wife sitting nearby, signed an executive order creating an across-the-government council designed to help Cabinet agencies and departments collaborate on ways to make sure women were provided opportunities offered to men.
"I sign this order not just as a president, but as a son, a grandson, a husband and a father because, growing up, I saw my mother put herself through school and follow her passion for helping others," Obama said. "But I also saw how she struggled to raise me and my sister on her own, worrying about how she'd pay the bills and educate herself and provide for us."
He said he signed the order to honor all the women who came before him, such as his grandmother who was a bank vice president but was denied promotions because of her gender. He said the fight for gender equality is far from over.
Late Wednesday afternoon, after Barack Obama announced the creation of a White House Council for Women and Girls, Hillary Clinton and Michelle Obama presented the State Department's Award for International Women of Courage to "seven female activists from Afghanistan, Guatemala, Iraq, Malaysia, Niger, Russia and Uzbekistan who have fought to end discrimination and inequality."Secretary Clinton, by way of introduction, applauded Michelle Obama's "grace and wisdom" and called her "an inspiration to women and girls not only in the United States but around the world," and then reminded the audience that "the status of women and girls is a key indicator of whether progress is possible in a society."
posted by Kangaroo Brisbane Australia at 6:41 PM
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