 This is St. Tech, Hawaii. Community matters here. Everyone, welcome to Sister Power. I'm Sharon Thomas Yarbrough. Sister Power's VIP guest today, Talia Rice, founder of Taherae Association, Teach a Girl, Change the World, and Sharon Thomas Yarbrough, founder and president of Sisters Empowering Hawaii, Hawaii's foremost women's empowerment organization. Michelle Robinson Obama served as First Lady of the United States from 2009 to 2017, a graduate of Princeton University and Harvard Law School. Mrs. Obama started her career as an attorney at the Chicago law firm, Sidley & Austin, where she met her future husband Barack Obama. The Obamas currently live in Washington, D.C., and have two lovely daughters, Malia and Sasha. Join us as we discuss becoming, celebrating Michelle standing on her shoulders. Welcome to Sister Power, Talia. Mahalo, haole makahiki ho! Happy New Year! Happy New Year! Well, let's toast to that! Absolutely. It's time for a toast. Time for a toast and a new beginning. Absolutely. Michelle talks about new beginnings, and she has so much to say in becoming that she really is, I would say, you know, by the mere fact that her book was the best-selling book of all of 2018, and people are talking about she should become the next president, which I don't wish on her because she deserves a life. She is really, truly a role model for all women and men around the world. And so it's very exciting that both of our organizations are going to celebrate her and celebrate becoming in a very special way. Absolutely. And this is going to be fabulous. And we're having our celebration at the Kahala. Oh, and we're going to have a royalty service. And so let's ask you, and I have our little royalty service today. Absolutely. May I pour you tea? Please do. Thank you. I'm trying to be the most elegant Michelle-like teaporer I've ever seen. All right. Well, becoming the new memoir for former First Lady Michelle Obama is the fastest-selling book of the year. And reading the book is really also a self-help book that I found and reading it. And it's so enjoyable and it's so relatable for everyone, not just for women, coming up, starting off as a young girl outside of Chicago and becoming the first African-American First Lady. So what were some of your takeaways from the book? I particularly found her quotes very, very resonating. You know, she talks about how all girls deserve an education everywhere. And really, that is the linchpin for the future of humanity. Unfortunately, so many of the girls around the world don't get an education. But once they get an education, then they have exponential success. They become agents of change in their own communities. They teach their brothers, the mothers when educated, teach both their children, and they're able to get along better in society and make a meaningful contribution because they have information that they didn't have before. So that, to me, stuck out. Education, you can't underestimate the power of knowledge. That's true. This is what I think was so... This was such a good fit for your organization and my organization. Sisters Empowering Hawaii, Hawaii's Formals Women's Empowerment Organization. And we motivate, educate, and empower all women. And just briefly tell us a little bit about your organization, your association. The Tahirah Association has been, in effect, now nearly 20 years. And we started out to honor the woman Tahirah who actually lived in the 1800s and was an agent of change, and she left a global impact. Because of that, we wanted to educate girls. So we've given 22 scholarships in 13 countries over these nearly two decades because we know that we stand on each other's shoulders. Just like we stand on Michelle's, these young women that we empower and educate are standing on ours. So we're very proud of the work we've done. We've empowered women in prison. So the women of Hawaii who are inmates at WCCC have been able to benefit from skillset development, performance skills, and communication capabilities that they previously were lacking. Well, getting back to the book, I'm so excited that on... Let's show the beautiful scene first where we're going to have our royalty service. On January the 27th, 2019, and we have it... We only have a few spots left. It's going to be just absolutely fabulous, a fabulous royalty service. And not only do we stand on the shoulders of Michelle, we really stand on our elders' backs. And what I'm enjoying about this is the response and reading of her book and her telling the story from the time she... After all of the presidency was over, she made herself a toast that she said, which happens to be my favorite, just to unwind from this. And we have the picture of the book becoming Michelle Obama and the prize. Let's tell them about the prize for the attendees who are going to attend the royalty service. Okay, the very few women... There's only 30 women that can attend this event. And there is a signed copy of becoming waiting for the person who wins a bit of a lottery that we've set up, kind of creative and fun. And the value of the autographed edition is like $500. And because Michelle has not appeared in Hawaii, it's impossible to get a signed copy. So, unless you somehow did, this is it. And we are so happy because proceeds from that are going to go to the organizations to help girls and women. So, come one, come all, if there's room and space, which we don't have much left. But that book signed by Michelle Obama could be somebody's. Could be a young woman. You know, she says, just try new things. Step out of your comfort zone and soar. Come soar with us. Come soar with us on January 27th. And see, I remember my mother as a kid taking me to tees like this. And I think it's a great experience for a mother and daughter to come together and expose your daughters to something like this. Fortunately, we have reached out and we have a high school student who's going to film this. Lauren is going to film this event. And this is what our organizations are all about, empowering, motivating, and educating all women. And this is what I love. This book is so beautiful and so gorgeous that sometimes you just really don't want to touch it. It's so gorgeous. But it's so readable and relatable because fortunately, you and I were both able to attend both inaugurations. Yes. They were unbelievable. There's almost no words to explain the exhilaration and the gratification of watching what was unfolding, our first black president and black first lady, and the distinction of who they are. They were real people. They both grew up in real lives. They were not from political dynasties. So they humanized the presidency and the White House, in my opinion, for those eight years that they served. And, you know, we need that. We need that again. We need it more. More than ever right now. More than ever right now. They brought cohesion and unity. And I mean, truly, he was the president of everyone in the United States. And so he's still doing great work. And we've just bid them farewell. They were here for the holidays, which they are every year. They come back home to Hawaii. And they are our ohana. We respect them. We give them space. And we love them because they are who they are. Matter of fact, my tribute to Michelle is my one off-the-shoulder outfit today, my fashion statement, similar to yours. Absolutely. You got two off the shoulders. I only got one. That's all right. You know, we're just having fun here and I'm loving it. And let's talk about the selves of becoming. Oh, my God. The best-selling book of all of 2018, over six million copies. The fastest-selling book of any nonfiction political book ever. And it's in 33 languages. Yes. I mean, this has global impact. The world loves Michelle, not just us here in Hawaii, not just America. The entire world loves her. And I think she's, because she's so real, we see her interact with children and adults. And everyday people, she has that ability to make you comfortable. Yes. You don't feel like you're, like you have to put on airs with her. And even though she's being treated like a rock star. Oh, yes. I mean, she's selling out to art historians where over 20,000 attendees are showing up. Yes. And do you know what? People are paying $700 or more. Up to a $1,000. Yes. To go to places that have 20,000 seats. So as much as we would love to bring her here to talk to our, the, the, it's going to cost. We just have to afford it. But hey, someone would like to help us. We'd love to do it because we can. Absolutely. And, and this is why I think it's a great idea that we're having this royalty service that women can come together. We can network. We can talk about our goals and values and the things that we're doing for the community. She's very much, she was very much involved in the community. And as you can see on camera, this is how the event on Sunday, January the 27th is going to be at the Cola. And we're going to have the Royal Tea Service. I am so, so excited about the women that are coming together. It is. And you know, it's such a private, intimate event. I wish it could have been larger, but it's very limited. So invitation only. Yes. And the thing is that the, the beauty of drinking a cup of champagne or having a cup of tea or sandwiches or all the little goodies that the Kahala provides in the Royal Tea Service really will make it a comfortable place for women to share challenges and discuss things that they may not be comfortable talking about with others. But when we come together and we're able to share the dynamic shifts our ability and we become empowered. So we're, we're living our dreams. We're doing what we believe in and thank you for the idea to do this. It's an honor for the Taharei Association to join you. And as we raise funds for our latest scholarship to a young Hawaiian Samoan girl right here from Farrington High, we're doing our work. And you've got this young lady from high school coming. Yes. This is great. These young women are being exposed to a caliber of professional women who have achieved and accomplished. They're being exposed to places and spaces that they otherwise may not have been able to afford or socialize within. And so this is changing their life just as much as it changes ours. And we will take a short break and we'll come back and finish discussing becoming. And let's have a sip of tea while we're on our break. Absolutely. We'll toast our tea. Yes, we toast our tea. Wonderful. We'll be right back every while. Thank you. This is Stink Tech Hawaii, raising public awareness. When I was growing up, I was among the one in six American kids who struggled with hunger and hungry mornings make tired days. Grumpy days. That kind of days. But with the power of breakfast, the kids in your neighborhood can think big and be more. When we're not hungry for breakfast, we're hungry for more. More ideas. More dreams. More fun. When kids aren't hungry for breakfast, they can be hungry for more. Go to hungarees.org and lend your time or your voice to make breakfast happen for kids in your neighborhood. Aloha. I'm Marcia Joyner. Inviting you to come visit with us on Cannabis Chronicles, a 10,000-year odyssey where we explore and examine the plant that the muse has given us. And stay with us as we explore all the facets of this planet on Wednesdays at noon. Please join us. This is Duzan. Welcome back to Sister Power. And we're talking about the best-selling book in the world right now, Becoming by Michelle Obama and here with my guest, Tadia Rice. And we're so excited because in a couple of weeks we're going to be having a royalty service in honor of the best-selling book Becoming by Michelle Obama. And there's so much to be said about the book. There is. There is. There's a lot. I mean, Oprah Winfrey chose Becoming for her book club and helped launch the memoir at a sold-out appearance with Obama in Chicago. And so that was exciting. And what I enjoyed about reading this book because it's in our era, we were there. It seems like we were walking with her through Becoming. You're right. You're right. As we've been becoming. Yes. And you know, as I sip my sparkling cider, I'm thinking of her words when she says, Choose people who lift you up. And isn't that something that women need to learn? Yes. We need to learn to choose our friends more wisely. Yes. And not just let anybody in. We have boundaries to learn that we're not often taught as little girls. So in choosing those who lift you up, that's what we're going to do on January 27th. And she also says, Your story is what you have. What you will always have. It is something to own. And I think that own your story, own your truth. And also I admired Mrs. Obama that she spoke from her heart and she told the truth. She even spoke briefly on some of the interviews. Yeah, I tried marijuana. She kept it so real and so relatable to us. She talked about marital challenges, especially with the White House. How can you live life in such a fishbowl and not have intrusion and people trying to belittle you and attack you. She was attacked for wearing sleeveless dresses and off-the-shoulder dresses and showing her athletic form. And now look what we've been reduced to. Well, that's another show. That sure is. But she is so amazing and elegant. She broke the rules in the best ways. In the very best ways. What she ushered into the White House and ushered into American psychosocial dynamics was truly revolutionary in many, many ways. And in the future, when history looks back on all of the political things that have occurred, they're going to look to the Obama's as the singular example of having no major issues while in the White House, having no affairs, having conducted themselves in the most elegant and the most... What's the word? I don't even have it. Just the most wonderful way. It was grace. Total grace. Absolutely. Class. Intellectual. Absolutely. Absolutely. And you know she said, success isn't about how much money you make. It's about the difference you make in other people. And that's something we need to keep up with most in our minds. Because we really, it's all about service. Yes. That's what love and caring and aloha is about. It's a spiritual value that you serve others. And they served so well. And so as we strive to serve our communities, whatever community they are, we want to be the same kind of powerful woman that Michelle is. With comport, with grace as you mentioned. With a power that doesn't need to be said. And it's something that you said that years later people are going to look to the Obama's as they are now. And this is why this is so important. This personally autographed book by Michelle Obama. This is something that you can hand down to your grandchildren, your great-grandchildren. This is a masterpiece. It is. That you will have, the attendees will have the opportunity to take down in history. Absolutely. You know, she's written many books. And there's so many profiles that have been made about them. I think we have a collage on the different books and her books of the collage. There they are right there. And there's even children's comic books that speak to what she has contributed and what she has done. So it's amazing. She is impacting the lives of girls. Yes. Of women, of the elderly, of the youngest. And how many people live a life where they can do that. Look at her. I know. Michelle Obama is sparring words, coloring books. You know, people don't, I think they get it. But I don't know if they get the excitement that you and I feel because of, we've come up in the 60s and the 70s and the 80s and we've seen so much that our parents will be so very, very proud that we have reached this momentum and we have reached that we have a woman who was ostracized. I mean, just think about going, her first time she speaks about going to Princeton and her, from humble beginnings to the very privileged. That is just amazing. And you know, I think that you made such a good point about what this book can do for our daughters and our sons for our progeny because they're young today. They haven't necessarily had to struggle with the racism and the discrimination and all of the issues that America suffered from post-slavery, slavery, post-slavery, and now whatever era this is that we're in. This is a testament to the human spirit and the power of the human spirit and overcoming. And this is what our kids need to learn from Michelle, from older people, from the Kapuna. The struggles have been real for everybody regardless of the color, the religion, the creed, whatever. The struggles are still with us. How do we handle these struggles we face today? It is that fortitude and perseverance and aloha, a sense of loving humanity that Michelle and Barack both exude. They're charismatic people. Cool. Well, one of the other quotes we're talking about were having the women come together on Sunday, January 27th. One of her quotes, I have a habit that has sustained me for life, keeping a close and high-spirited council of girlfriends, a safe harbor of female wisdom. And I tell you, my girlfriends bring me through. When I'm up and when I'm down, they're encouraging. You know, you do have to protect your space. And this is what she said that she learned from coming up that her girlfriends were there for her. Yes. And that is so true, because really we can't look to men to fulfill our emotional needs. We're different. We're different. We're just different, biologically, sociologically, chemically, every which way. So you notice, though, she's also very close to her mother. So you see, she's standing on her mother's shoulders. Right. Her mother's generation saw far worse than we've ever experienced. And her forefathers were slaves who experienced the worst. So there is so many direct connections to the human experience for black Americans that has not been expressed in any other previous political books or from First Ladies in the White House. Well, what I loved about the family affair in the White House, where she brings in her mother, and then there's Michelle Obama and then the daughters. So can you imagine that experience of having your grandmother with you? Because grandmothers are so special. Three generations. Three generations in the White House. When you cross generations like that, there's the wisdom of the capuna, the energy of the youth. And there's nothing more wonderful than to see grandparents and grandchildren interact. There's a freedom and a special relationship with mo'apuna that we don't get sometimes with our peers. Right. You know, Tadia, this has been so wonderful. And I thank you. I thank you for this short experience that we've had. Oh, it's been wonderful. And before we go, let's just have another sip of our tea. Thank you. And then we remind people that on Sunday, and I think we have an invite on Sunday, January the 27th at the Kahala, we'll be having the Royal Tea Service and presents us celebrating Michelle standing on her shoulders. And finally, this is the last paragraph that Mrs. Obama wrote in Becoming. Finally, I want to thank every young person I ever encountered during my time as First Lady to all the promising young souls that touched my heart over those years, to those who helped my garden grow, to those who danced, sang, cooked, and broke bread with me, to those who gave me thousands of warm, delicious hugs, hugs that lifted me up and kept me going even during my most difficult moments. Thank you for always giving me a reason to be hopeful. From all of us at Sister Power, thank you for spending part of your day with us. I'm Sharon Thomas Yardwell.