Is Malia Obama a budding animal activist? Could be, based on comments from her mom.
First Lady Michelle Obama recently revealed that the single most common question posed to President Obama by his daughter, Malia, age 10, is:
What is he doing to help tigers?
As it turns out, Malia and the whole Obama family are sweet on tigers, which are an endangered species. So the family discusses tigers at least once a week – mainly because Malia asks President Barack Obama about them frequently.
"He tells her he's working on it and there are a lot of people who are thinking about it," Michelle Obama said. "But I think, the Obama household, we're trying to save the tigers."
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Pampered Princesses
Malia and Sasha Obama: The unexpected stars of their dad's presidential campaign, Malia and Sasha Obama dazzled with their beauty, fun personalities and seemingly down-to-earth natures. Since their worldwide introduction nearly two years ago, everything about the first daughters, from their clothes to their hair to their school, has been incessantly documented and admired. But through it all they've seemed to handle the pressures of life in the spotlight with good nature and grace.
Pete Souza, Official White House Photo
BlackVoices.com
Pampered Princesses
Jessie James and D'Lila Star Combs: The two littlest Combs' are spared no expense in their Los Angeles upbringing: shopping sprees at hip boutique Kitson, gold nameplate necklaces before they were even able to read their names, plus all the love and attention from their former model mommy Kim Porter and all-around-fly-guy dad Sean "Diddy" Combs, not to mention a host of older siblings (between mom and dad they've got four). And just because they're the youngest of the clan, doesn't mean they come last, especially since they're always dad's guest stars of choice for Diddy TV.
Pampered Princesses
Ming Lee and Aoki Lee Simmons: Born to fashion and hip-hop royalty Kimora Lee and Russell Simmons, these little stars aren't just princesses; they're moguls-in-training. And since the girls have been in the Phat Farm-Baby Phat spotlight practically since birth (their mom ends all of her runway shows with the girls in tow), it's no wonder that they now star in Baby Phat Girlz campaigns and host their own fashion shows.
Pampered Princesses
Ava Dash She was born into a pedigree fit for a princess, what with fashion designer mom Rachel Roy and music and fashion exec dad Damon Dash, not to mention "Uncle Jay-Z," who's godfather to her older brother, Damon Dash Jr. And Ava seems to enjoy living the good life in Manhattan with her mother and younger sister, Talullah, attending movie premieres, fashion shows, posing for magazines and traveling the world.
Pampered Princesses
Keke Palmer: Laying claim to the black Disney princess throne handed down by Raven-Symone, Keke stars in the hit show 'True Jackson, VP' while still making time for a film career ('Akeelah and the Bee') and a budding singing career (she sings the theme song for 'True' and her work has also appeared on the soundtrack to 'Night at the Museum'). Beyond her talent, she's growing into a media favorite as well, with images from her life out-and-about in L.A. constantly popping up in blogs and magazines.
Pampered Princesses
Malia and Sasha Obama: The unexpected stars of their dad's presidential campaign, Malia and Sasha Obama dazzled with their beauty, fun personalities and seemingly down-to-earth natures. Since their worldwide introduction nearly two years ago, everything about the first daughters, from their clothes to their hair to their school, has been incessantly documented and admired. But through it all they've seemed to handle the pressures of life in the spotlight with good nature and grace.
Pampered Princesses
Willow Smith: Blessed with her mother Jada Pinkett-Smith's beauty and dad Will Smith's personality, Willow is a princess to watch. She grabbed media attention in 2009 when she performed at the Nobel Peace Prize concert with only half of a head of hair, a la older stars like Cassie and Rihanna. Along with brother Jaden, she's also a mini-philanthropist, serving as a Hasbro youth ambassador to project Zambia, which helps African kids orphaned by AIDS.
Pampered Princesses
Reginae Carter: Rapper Li'l Wayne's oldest child spent the first decade or so of her life in the background, but in the past couple of years she's stepped into the spotlight with appearances on her mom's reality show, 'Tiny and Toya,' performing in the hip-hop group OMG Girlz (which also features Tameka "Tiny" Cottle's daughter Zonnique) and even appearing onstage with her dad and rapper Drake during 2009's BET Awards.
Pampered Princesses
Vanessa and Angela Simmons: Like their younger cousins Ming and Aoki, Rev. Run of Run DMC's daughters were raised in hip-hop's royal family. And as the eldest heirs to the family fortune, the sisters have already hit the ground running to make the family proud. In the past few years they've starred in two reality shows ('Run's House' and spin-off 'Daddy's Girls'), launched a successful accessories line, Pastry, and grown into bonafide socialites, hitting shows during New York Fashion Week and attending events in Los Angeles.
Pampered Princesses
Yara Shahidi: With her starring role in 'Imagine That' alongside Eddie Murphy and Nicole Ari Parker and last year's Gap Kids campaign, Yara's well on her way to mainstream stardom. Born to model Keri Salter-Shahidi, she started modeling when she was just a baby with her mom (the two even appeared in a McDonald's commercial together) before venturing into acting. She's starring in another film this year, 'Unthinkable' with Sam Jackson, so we're betting this little princess is here to stay.
Pampered Princesses
Chudney Ross: The daughter of Diana Ross and music exec Robert Silberstein, Chudney makes no apologies for her privileged background or the instant fame it's brought her. Like older sis Tracee Ellis Ross, she doesn't let her superstar mother do all the work though. After graduating from Georgetown University she taught for years in public schools before moving to Los Angeles to take up her post in the city's famous daughter club.
Pampered Princesses
The First Lady made the comments during an hour-long question and answer session for the children of executive office employees who visited the White House on Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day.
As a mother of three, I love to see children like Malia Obama becoming interested at such an early age in topics that will affect their lives and our world. In Malia's case, she's apparently curious about saving or protecting endangered animals. Other kids may be into saving the environment, helping the homeless, or ensuring the rights of children.
When young people are as precocious as Malia Obama, we should encourage their intellectual curiosity and not shut it down. Too often, as adults, we have the idea that "children should be seen and not heard." So we discourage young people from talking about or delving into weighty issues.
But whether it's touchy political matters, civic causes, notions about social justice, or even thorny economic topics, think of the benefits to the next generation if conscientious adults encouraged the children in our lives to explore these areas – and gave kids the freedom to try to solve the problems inherent in these weighty topics.
What are your thoughts? Are there some social, civic, economic, political or global subjects that kids just shouldn't learn about or talk about at an early age? Or should nothing be off limits?
Lynnette Khalfani-Cox, an award-winning financial news journalist and former Wall Street Journal reporter for CNBC, has also been featured in top newspapers including the Washington Post, USA Today, and the New York Times, as well as magazines ranging from Essence and Redbook to Black Enterprise and Smart Money. Check out her New York Times bestseller,
'Zero Debt: The Ultimate Guide to Financial Freedom.'
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Comments: (13)
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By: Blenda Pilon on 4/29/2010 5:59PM
Hello Al, Charlie and Lynette Khalfani-Cox,
I think it is refreshing that a 10 year old girl has a passion that is healthy and humanitarian. Very often the best discoveries and observations come from young Spirits who still have their intuition and big hearts in tact. Perhaps Malia is one of these children and we can learn from her. Most animal lovers claim they learn from animals. Speaking for myself, from animals I have learned my unity with all Nature and with all life regardless of race, gender or species. From my realtionships with animals I have gained serenity, compassion and an understanding that surpasses rational thinking-things-out. If we instilled this wisdom into our politics do you think we might have more humanitarian, peaceful solutions?
Here is an email from a beautiful lady, Julia Bindas, who could easily be a hollywood actress and instead has devoted her wisdom and care to helping preserve tigers and other wild life. I would like for Malia Obama to know about Julia and be able to contact her. Í would like Malia to have the opportunity to pursue her dreams and learn more about tigers and how to help them.
Here is Julia's email:
My name is Julia Bindas
I am the author of an amazing book entitled
THY KINGDOM COME
It is my story of my life with wild animals.
From Tigers to Tapirs this is a story which will hold you spellbound.
Since I was a little girl and had my first encounter with a wild Siberian Tiger
I knew my caling in life would be to raise the conscienceness of mankind
to his fellow animals.
I started many projects to protect and help animals all over the world
and I also became a master herbologist and cure animals with natural remedies
as Mother Nature intended. I created a line of products which have cured animals
from America to Africa.
I am taking the time to write this for I saw the article about Malia Obama and her
weekly question to her father and was deeply moved. I too did the exact same thing to
my father for many years. He is from the Ukraine, we the kids were born and raised in
America. He took me to Russia to see the wild tigers.
I have a simple effective plan to help the tigers of the world.
I would love to also show Malia the animals of my jungles.
It is important that our children become the voices of the wilds.
I teach animal communication and this would be something children
can begin to learn for it is inside all of us, we just have forgotten...
My email contact is wildlluvias@yahoo.com
Regards
Julia Bindas
@tiger.jpg
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By: Ray on 4/27/2010 10:23PM
Did the first lady said she has 3 children?
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By: saeedshiekh on 5/08/2010 8:54AM
Children of the same age as Malia in Pakistan were simply appalled about learning the views of Malia regarding tigers. Worried faces. They could not believe what they were hearing. A young girl even wrote a letter to Malia. This is the letter she wrote. Don’t know if it ever got to her. But it will remind the world of how children across the world feel about tigers and the jurisdiction of the thoughts of Malia. Read the letter and find out why children across the world fear such thoughts and what type of plea has they made to her at http://buildpakistantogether.blogspot.com
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