Michelle Obama has made some interesting and controversial comments during her tenure as First Lady, seeming never to hold back when it comes to saying the things on her mind. Not such a bad thing, according to some.

The First Lady spoke to 500 young African students at the Presidential Summit for the Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders in Washington today, telling them that Africa means a whole lot to her, personally.

Even though her husband has shied away from discussing his African heritage, referring to his Kenyan father only once in the question-and-answer session, Michelle Obama said that she takes her position as an African-American woman in America very seriously.

“The roots of my family tree are in Africa,’ the first lady told the cheering crowd. My husband’s father was born and raised in Kenya. Members of our extended family still live there. I have had the pleasure of traveling to Africa many times over the years, including four trips as First Lady, and I have brought my mother and my daughters along whenever I can.”

Michelle Obama also went on to mention blood, for some reason, as she attempted to convey how much being of African origin means to her: ‘The blood of Africa runs through my veins, and I care deeply,” she said, addressing her listeners as her “brothers” and “sisters.”

Even though popularity ratings for Barack Obama have waned of late, Michelle Obama is still very popular with the public. The White House is also making woman’s empowerment a theme at a Washington African leaders summit set to take place next week.

According to Michelle Obama, problems with girls’ education often stemmed from traditional attitudes and beliefs that exist even in the United States. These attitudes apparently lead to issues such as the gender pay gap and an under-representation of women in positions of leadership.