Former first lady Michelle Obama will be inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame this year.
The organization announced its nine-member Class of 2021 on Monday. Along with Obama, it includes soccer icon Mia Hamm, NASA’s first African American female engineer Katherine Johnson and PepsiCo’s first female CEO, Indra Nooyi.
This year’s edition of the biennial induction ceremony will take place on October 2 in-person, with Covid-19 protocols, at the National Women’s Hall of Fame in Seneca Falls, New York. A free live stream of the ceremony will be available.
The National Women’s Hall of Fame relies on the public to nominate women who have been important in defining American history – and those nominations are sent to a panel which picks the inductees.
As first lady of the United States, and the first Black person to serve in the role, Obama “has emerged as one of the most influential and iconic women of the 21st century,” according to a statement on the organization’s website.
Obama has established herself as “a strong advocate for women and girls” in the US and around the world, the statement says.
Obama has helped create multiple advocacy groups. They include Let’s Move!, a program aimed at ending childhood obesity; the Reach Higher Initiative, which seeks to help students navigate and understand job opportunities; and Joining Forces, an initiative she led with current first lady Jill Biden, which supports service members, veterans and military families.
In 2018 Obama released her first memoir, “Becoming.” The book sold millions of copies worldwide and an audio version earned its author a 2020 Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Album. She launched her own podcast In July 2020. “The Michelle Obama Podcast,” features deep conversations with friends and family on how relationships shape who we are.
A full list of the 2021 inductees can be found on the National Women’s Hall of Fame website.