Michelle Obama put a big smile on the face of Eloise Brown after surprising the Philadelphia constituent with a visit for her 100th birthday.
Obama was in Philadelphia on Saturday to grant Eloise Brown the one wish she shared for her centennial birthday: to meet the first Black First Lady.
“It was my one only gift that I wanted for my birthday,” Brown told CBS News.
Brown has lived in South Philadelphia for over 80 years and is
known for her positive impact on the community. Last week, Brown’s family, friends, and local lawmakers threw her a “centennial celebration of love” party where she told the crowd how badly she wanted to meet Obama.As a gift to Brown, community leaders worked to grant her birthday wish. Philadelphia’s 8th District Senator, Anthony Hardy Williams, took to Facebook to praise Brown and share a video of the moment she finally got to meet the former First Lady.
forwp-incontent-custom-banner ampforwp-incontent-ad2">“Thank you Michelle Obama for making my constituent, Mrs. Eloise Brown birthday wish come true!” he wrote.
“She has been a champion for her community for many years.”
“I had the pleasure of attending her centennial celebration of love last Saturday….we presented her with an official citation but that was no comparison to meeting you!” he added.
Speaking on the moment, Brown was at a loss for words about how she felt meeting the first, and so far only, Black woman to serve as First Lady in the White House.
“I can’t even describe it,” Brown said. “Absolutely wonderful. All I wanted to do was just shake her hand and I did it.”
Obama was in town to promote her new book as part of her six-city tour and once she caught wind of Brown’s wish, she blessed her with tickets to the event. Brown and her 95-year-old sister Johnnie Devlin were in attendance, and happy to share a moment with the best-selling author.
“They were glad to see me and I was overjoyed to see them. I can’t even express it,” she said. “It is the greatest birthday I could ever have.”
Obama also shared the video on her Facebook page while celebrating Brown.
“If I make it to 100, I hope I look as good as you, Eloise,” she captioned the post.
“So great meeting you and your family in Philly.”