Watch Michelle Obama’s inspiring Essence Fest message to Black female leaders

Former FLOTUS Michelle Obama always knows how to pack a punch with her words. Her rousing, galvanizing speeches are guaranteed to bring down the house, so it’s no wonder Essence Magazine invited her to speak during the annual Essence Festival of Culture with a stirring talk on the power of Black women the Black vote.She began her speech, recorded in isolation, by expressing her admiration for the women on the front lines of the Black Lives Matter movement. “I’m so glad that we all can be together even as we deal with a pandemic and confront the violence and injustice that our community has faced for too long. I’ve been so inspired to see how Black women, like all of you, have been leading in this moment. You’re out there marching and protesting; making sure that folks are out there reflecting the best of us. But this isn’t a surprise; because we all know the truth is Black women have always led.”

 

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"When Black women use our voices, people listen." Our Forever FLOTUS @michelleobama blessed the virtual #EssenceFest with a message about voting and using your voice. #WhenWeAllVote

A post shared by ESSENCE (@essence) on Jul 4, 2020 at 6:41pm PDT

She went on to praise Black women for centuries spent pushing for progress and speaking truth to power, especially in the face of systemic bias and injustice: “As Black women, we know our most powerful tool in creating long term sustainable and systematic change is our vote. And we know that because we felt the consequences of what happens when folks don’t show up at the polls. We get people in office who don’t understand our communities. We get a criminal justice system that doesn’t reflect our values.”“So we’ve got to vote,” she continued, adding that voting for mayors, prosecutors and sheriffs is just as important as voting for presidents and senators. “I'm talking about... all those folks whose decisions affect our community every time one of our sons steps outside to go for a jog.""Here’s the thing: when Black women use our voices, people listen. When we lead, people follow. And when we do it together, there’s just no telling what we can accomplish," she said.FLOTUS also encouraged American viewers to visit her (and husband Barack Obama's) non-partisan organization When We All Vote, geared toward increasing voter participation and turnout, leaving us all with one powerful final thought: “Ladies, I know your power, and I know what you’re capable of, and I can’t wait for you to make your voices heard.”Essence Fest, hosted by Essence Magazine and a mainstay of the New Orleans summer festival season, is normally a huge weekend-long celebration including concerts and seminars with big name performers and speakers, but earlier this year, it was announced that the big 50th anniversary bash was cancelled due to the COVID-19 global pandemic. In its place, like so many events this year, we got the UNSTOPPABLE virtual version which still tapped some fantastic stars, celebrated Black excellence and discussed the major issues still facing the Black community. The full fete is slated to return as an in-person event in 2021.[video_embed id='1989099']RELATED: Bestselling author Nic Stone on the importance of Black representation in YA literature [/video_embed]Over the course of the two-day concert and conversation series, celebs and musicians turned out for the virtual festivities.Bruno Mars pulled out all the stops for his high-energy, sweaty, dance-inducing performance at the fest with a full backing band and backup singers.John Legend and Common joined forces once again to perform their Oscar-winning song “Glory” from the Ava DuVernay film Selma, and then Common took the stage solo to wow with his jazz-inspired song “I Used to love H.E.R.” and his infectious enthusiasm.And who wasn't smiling when the fest suddenly kicked it old-school with early '90s hip hop pioneers Bell Biv Devoe who took to the virtual stage to perform their classic hit “Poison.”A definite fave was actress Kerry Washington, who loves to give Yoga tutorials on her Instagram page, and led a virtual Yoga sesh for the fest, which you can still watch in watch in full to get your zen on. She promoted the session on her Instagram, saying, “Black women go hard! And it’s important that we value ourselves, and nurture our bodies and mental health.”[video_embed id='1899656']BEFORE YOU GO: Nothing is off limits in Aisha Brown’s new comedy special[/video_embed]