Michelle Obama helped launch this year’s Roots Picnic with a passionate message about voting.
Before kicking off the virtual festival on Saturday (June 27), the former first lady joined The Roots’ Questlove and Black Thought on a split screen to urge voter registration for the upcoming November elections.
“These past few months have been pretty heavy for almost everyone, and the truth is, we still have our work to do in the weeks and months ahead,” Obama said. “So before we dive into the Picnic, I want to remind everyone that we have an upcoming choice, and that it couldn’t be more important that everyone make their voices heard this time.”
This year’s Roots Picnic partnered with Obama’s nonpartisan nonprofit organization When We All Vote for the event. Obama said the organization’s goal is to increase voter participation in “this and all elections.”
People interested in registering to vote can send ROOTS to 56005, or visit WhenWeAllVote.org.
“We may not all look like SZA or Kirk Franklin, but we all deserve to have our voice heard at the polls in November,” Obama said at the closing.
Saturday’s virtual Roots Picnic featured performances by The Roots, HER, Roddy Ricch, Lil Baby, SZA, Kirk Franklin, Snoh Aalegra, Earthgang, G Herbo, Polo G, D Nice, and Musiq Soulchild (endorsed by The Roots) .
