Michelle Obama Teams with BET to Urge ‘Women of Color’ to Vote: ‘We Lead, People Follow’

Former first lady Michelle Obama is joining forces with Black Entertainment Television to urge women of color to vote in the 2018 midterm elections.

.@MichelleObama has a special message from #BlackGirlsRock for women of color: Help your sisters, children, and congregations get registered and ready to vote! Do so with @WhenWeAllVote at https://t.co/N9OSYcz6xy. #WhenWeAllVote #BETImpact pic.twitter.com/X7bSxVp8uO

— BET (@BET) September 10, 2018

“We’ve all seen the difference we can make when we choose to cast our ballots and we’ve seen the consequences when we don’t bother to show up to the polls,” Obama, who serves as co-chair of the national nonprofit effort When We All Vote, says in the one-minute clip.

The former first lady asks women to assist with registering their friends and family so they may be eligible to vote on Election Day. “Women of color know how to get things done for our families, our communities, and our country,” she says. “When we use our voices, people listen. When we lead, people follow.”

As Breitbart News’ Jerome Hudson reported, Michelle Obama teamed up with various Hollywood stars to launch When We All Vote. Country music singer Tim McGraw, along with NBA star Chris Paul, are among the group’s co-chairs.

“Voting is the only way to ensure that our values and priorities are represented in the halls of power,” Michelle Obama said in a statement upon launching the star-studded voter registration drive. “And it’s not enough to just vote for president every four years. We all have to vote in every single election: for mayor, governor, school board, state legislature and Congress. The leaders we elect to these offices help determine just about every aspect of our lives and our democracy. So the future of our families, our communities and our country belongs to those of us who show up, cast our votes, and make our voices heard.”

The organization is scheduled to hold live events “to celebrate a week of action” events in Houston, Texas, and Boise, Idaho, on September 22.

Former President Barack Obama returned to the campaign trail last week with a pair of speeches in support of Democrats ahead of the November elections. Addressing students at the University of Illinois, Obama criticized President Donald Trump’s leadership, warning the consequences of Republicans winning in November are more “dire” than ever. “We are Americans. We’re supposed to stand up to bullies. Not follow them, Obama said. “We’re supposed to stand up to discrimination. And we’re sure as heck supposed to stand up, clearly and unequivocally, to Nazi sympathizers.”

“None of this is conservative,”  he added. “It’s not conservative. It sure isn’t normal. It’s radical.”