Michelle and Barack Obama had an emotional moment at the Opening of the Obama Presidential Center. Michelle Obama honored a very important person in her family's life, surprising her husband and leaving him in tears. When Michelle began speaking about the tribute, her voice broke, resulting in an emotional moment for the couple.
© Getty ImagesMichelle walked onstage wearing a skirt with her mother's face printed on it. The outfit took Barack Obama by surprise, who had to hold back tears. The outfit was a custom Acne Studios look, and was completed with a simple black shirt and a black belt. The dress featured a portrait of Marian Robinson as a young woman.
"I am so proud of my husband," said Michelle. "He's really messed up, I'm giving him some time, because this beautiful skirt that my stylist Meredith Koop picked out, that is a portrait, my favorite portrait of my mom, he didn't know it existed until just a few minutes ago," she added.
© Getty ImagesMichelle has shared that photo of her mother in the past, revealing just why she loves the portrait so much. "Whenever I see this picture, and the look in my mother's eyes, I wonder if she has any idea what's coming in the decades ahead: Real love and real loss, children and grandchildren who'd keep her on her toes, a wild ride to places she'd only read about or seen on television," wrote Michelle on a birthday tribute for her mother shared in 2019.
At the event, hosted in Chicago, Michelle shared that she'd been planning to surprise her husband with the skirt for some time now. "I've had a few weeks to settle down in the beauty of this skirt, but it's messing him up for good reason," said Michelle. "But Marian would have been so proud."
© Getty ImagesMarian died two years ago, at the age of 86. She played a key role in the lives of the Obamas, with her becoming a large presence in her granddaughters' lives. Michelle shared that she was one of Barack's biggest supporters and would have been so proud of him if she'd attended the event.
"She was so proud of her son-in-law, and the man that he is, and has been to our family, always dreaming, probably way too big, but always pulling it off," Michelle said. "Thank you for doing this for the South Side of Chicago. I love you."
More details about the Obama Presidential Center
The Obama Presidential Center opened this week, made up of a large building in Jackson Park, Chicago, that contains a museum, a playground, a public library, gardens, and indoor basketball courts.
Tomorrow, the opening will be celebrated with a concert that includes performances from Bruce Springsteen, The Roots, Christina Aguilera, Marc Anthony, Stevie Wonder, Jennifer Hudson, and more.
© POOL/AFP via Getty Images
