A voters' rally in Detroit featuring the former First Lady Michelle Obama is no longer taking place. The event has been canceled amid the rising cases of coronavirus infection in the U.S.
According to Fox Detroit, two COVID-19 cases have been confirmed in southeast Michigan, specifically in the counties of Oakland and Wayne. Organizers of the When We All Vote rally, which is set for March 27, have decided to drop the event.
Officials of the non-partisan organization said that they have decided to cancel the event "out of an abundance of caution for the health and safety of attendees and individuals traveling to Detroit." Some of the attendees were supposed to have a meet and greet with Obama as part of a contest but they will be notified of the situation.
Obama's rally is also supposed to boost voter registrations to encourage more people, especially the youth and the first-time voters, to exercise their right to suffrage. The Detroit stop would have kicked off the nationwide affair but the organizers said that it is considering rescheduling at a later date.
More than 1,000 confirmed cases have been logged in the U.S. with 38 deaths. As a precaution, President Donald Trump has ordered the suspension of travels to Europe from the United States. Other events have also been canceled, including the rest of the NBA season.
Meanwhile, Obama remains visible elsewhere as she promotes her advocacies. She recently helped actresses Laverne Cox and Viola Davis in giving a little girl some words of encouragement because she felt she was ugly.
The former First Lady posted a message for 4-year-old Ariyonna on Instagram to tell her that she is precious and gorgeous, as she also shared her video. In it, the girl can be seen crying as she is getting a haircut with a stylist.
Her stylist reminded her that she has beautiful chocolate skin while Obama said that she is "beautiful, intelligent and brave black girl." The stylist uploaded the video, which has now gone viral, because she hopes that other will also uplift the little girl's spirit. Fortunately for Ariyonna, it reached Obama. The former First Lady learned of it from Cox and Davis.
As a mother of two daughters, Obama said in one interview that she hopes young girls will learn not to measure their worth on external influences. She advised the young woman to take the time to get to know who they are instead of letting the world tell them who they must be or how they must look.
