An exclusive television special with former First Lady Michelle Obama is coming to BET and BET Her this month. The program, BET Her Presents…Becoming: Michelle Obama in Conversation is set to premiere this month, according to a press release.
Filmed in Largo, Maryland, at Prince George’s Community College, the 60-minute special features Obama engaging in a discussion on stage with students from 22 participating colleges around the country. Obama will be discussing the themes and topics brought up in her memoir, Becoming, which became a New York Times bestseller.
The students were able to ask Obama some thought-provoking questions about numerous topics, including mental health, diversity, and inclusion on college campuses, and advice about how they can positively impact their communities.
Actress Yara Shahidi moderated the conversation with Obama and the students on stage.
“I have had the privilege of seeing Mrs. Obama on her Becoming book tour, alongside my mother and grandmother, and it is so clearly evident that Becoming has had an intergenerational impact,” Shahidi said in a statement. “I am grateful to have joined Mrs. Obama in bringing forward the themes of her book that resonate with myself and so many of my peers at this moment in our academic careers and life paths!”
Becoming: Michelle Obama in Conversation will premiere on January 17, on BET and BET Her at 7:00 PM ET/PT. It is a part of the “Content for Change” initiative from BET and Viacom, Inc., exploring how the media plays an important part in shaping values and principles within communities and individuals.
“We are honored to continue our long-standing relationship with former First Lady Michelle Obama and this timely conversation will inspire viewers to reflect on their own stories and pursue their dreams in 2022,” said Connie Orlando, EVP, Specials, Music Programming & Music Strategy. “Becoming is an ever-evolving process, and we are proud to create a platform that fosters a community of empowerment and encourages dialogue for young women and men across the nation to thrive.”
Obama’s Becoming memoir has become a nationwide phenomenon since its release in November 2018. She launched a widely popular 34 city press tour for the book. One such stop at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center garnered over 19,000 attendees, according to Vox.
The tour was chronicled in a 2020 Netflix documentary, Becoming. Like the book, the documentary found Obama covering her life starting from her childhood growing up in Chicago’s south side and overcoming obstacles, naysayers, and prejudice, to navigating life as a wife and mother with a successful law career; this was all before becoming the First Lady of the United States and launching an extensive health advocacy and awareness campaign.
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