In her final speech as first lady, Michelle Obama stressed the importance of religious diversity in American culture.

“If you are a person of faith, know that religious diversity is a great American tradition,” she told attendees at the White House on Friday. “In fact, that’s why people first came to this country, to worship freely.

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“Whether you are Muslim, Christian, Jewish, Hindu, Sikh, these religions are teaching our young people about justice and compassion and honesty.”

The First Lady stated she wants “our young people to continue to learn and practice those values with pride.”

“You see, our glorious diversity, our diversity as the faiths and colors and creeds, that is not a threat to who we are,” she continued. “It makes us who we are.”

“So to the young people here and the young people out there, do not ever let anyone make you feel like you don’t matter, or like you don’t have a place in our American story, because you do, and you have a right to be exactly who you are.”

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