Michelle Obama Urges People to Vote at Roots Picnic: “We All Deserve to Have Our Voices Heard”

Michelle Obama helped kick off the annual Roots Picnic on Saturday with a passionate speech about voting. As QuestLove and Black Thought went over the star-studded lineup for the event, their cohost surprised them by jumping on a video chat to say a few words. “These past few months have been pretty heavy for just about everyone and the truth is, we still got our work cut out for us in the weeks and months ahead,” she said in the clip. “I want to remind everybody that we’ve got an election coming up and it couldn’t be more important that everybody makes their voice be heard this time around.” She then encouraged everyone watching to head over to her non-profit organization When We All Vote to get started, because “we all deserve to have our voices heard.”

The former first lady echoed similar sentiments during a recent interview for Harper’s Bazaar. While chatting with writer and producer Shonda Rhimes, Michelle discussed why voting is important for everyone, but especially for young voters. “Not many people want someone else making their decisions for them, especially when that person might not see the world the same way as they do,” she said. “That’s what happens when you don’t vote: You are giving away your power to someone else—someone who doesn’t see the world the same as you. You’re letting them make some really key decisions about the way you live.” Watch her speech about voting in full above.