WASHINGTON, DC – The following African Americans are guests of the First Lady at the State of the Union on Tuesday, February 12th in the FLOTUS SOTU:
Desiline Victor (Miami, Florida)
Desiline Victor was born in Haiti in 1910, and arrived in the United States in 1989. A naturalized U.S. citizen and a retired farmworker, she is 102 years old. On October 28, the first Sunday of early voting in Florida, Desiline went to vote at her polling place, a local library. When she arrived at 10:00 in the morning, wait times were up to six hours. Determined to vote, she stood in line for three hours, until 1:00 in the afternoon. After citizen advocates complained that the elderly woman was struggling on her feet, a poll worker asked Desiline to come back at a later time. On Desiline’s second visit that evening, she was finally able to cast her ballot. When she emerged from the building with her “I Voted” sticker, the crowd of thousands of waiting voters erupted into applause. Several voters remarked that the lines were long, and they needed to get home, but because of Desiline they would continue to stand and wait. Desiline resides in North Miami, where she is lovingly known as “Granny” among the city’s Haitian community. A spirited and independent centenarian, she enjoys attending church services and cooking her own meals.
Cleopatra Cowley-Pendleton and Nathaniel A. Pendleton Sr. (Chicago, IL)
Cleopatra and Nathaniel’s daughter Hadiya Pendleton was murdered on January 29, 2013, when she was shot and killed in Harsh Park on Chicago’s South Side. Hadiya had participated in President Obama’s public inaugural celebration on January 21, 2013. She was an honor student and band majorette at King College Prep High School.
Haile Thomas (Tucson, AZ)
Haile Thomas is a 12 year-old Youth Advisory Board member with the Alliance for a Healthier Generation. She is Co-Founder/Director of the HAPPY Organization, an Arizona nonprofit dedicated to improving the health and wellness of youth through education, outreach, and advocacy about proper nutrition and healthy lifestyle choices. Haile hosts an annual H.E.A.L. (healthy eating, active lifestyle) Festival on Global Youth Service Day in Tucson, she created the Healthy Girl Adventures Club to inspire girls to embrace healthy habits, and produces online cooking videos aimed at encouraging kids to get cooking. Haile is also the Youth Spokesperson and Jr. Chef Consultant for Hyatt Hotels. She has spoken at several events including TEDxKids@BC in Vancouver, TEDxTucson, at the 2011 Partnership for a Healthier America Summit, and the 2013 Clinton Foundation’s Health Matters Conference, speaking about the importance of the youth voice in the discussions aimed at solving the childhood obesity epidemic. Haile is a dedicated, passionate and inspiring health advocate for her peers.
