Michelle Obama became the first African American first lady of the United States

Michelle Obama scaled back her professional obligations from her post at the University of Chicago in May 2007 after her husband Barrack Obama announced his candidacy to focus more on the campaigning series. She participated sparingly in the early weeks of the campaign, traveling only twice per week. By the beginning of February 2008, she started to play a more active role, speaking to people in several states about various topics. Michelle Obama's introduction to the national political stage was during the presidential campaign. She was a skilled public speaker who put in a lot of work for her husband's presidential campaign throughout the protracted Democratic primary contest. Mrs. Obama used a personal connection with the audience when she spoke at the 2008 Democratic National Convention about herself, her family, and the American Dream. Polls show that the public and media overwhelmingly praised the moving address.

Barack Obama, an African-American nominee for president, became the Democratic Party's first non-white nominee in June 2008. By defeating John McCain, the Republican candidate, Barack Obama went on to become the 44th President of the United States in 2009. Thus, Mrs. Michelle Obama became the country's first African-American First Lady.