On November 18, First Lady Michelle Obama and Jill Biden, wife of the vice president, welcomed women members of the U.S. military to the White House.

“I hope that you know that your legacy will be measured in the service of every woman who follows in the trails that you’ve blazed, every woman who benefits from your daring and determination,” Michelle Obama said. “It will be measured in the inspiration that you provide to our daughters and our granddaughters — and to our sons and our grandsons as well.”

Video and photos of the event are available on the White House Web site.

The White House was lit in orange as the Obamas welcomed 2,000 children to celebrate Halloween. The White House marked the occasion as it is traditionally celebrated in America, with costume-clad children asking for candy. The president and first lady distributed both candy and dried fruit.

President Obama did not put on costume, but Michelle Obama wore a cat woman outfit for the event. Speaking about the children’s costumes, the president said, “they’re adorable … as is, by the way, my wife, a very nice-looking cat woman.”

Yesterday, the New York Times published a fascinating article compiling research on first lady Michelle Obama’s genealogical background. I have always been a fan of genealogy because it can shift the historical focus from the famous to the more “common” people, offering a much fuller and more accurate picture of what life was actually like. What the story of the first lady’s ancestors shows is a family’s slow but steady rise over more than a century from the worst of conditions, indignities and abuses to becoming a celebrated and influential symbol of today’s United States.

Much of the information in the article is also apparently new to the first lady and the rest of her family. As I blogged and wrote about earlier this year, many descendants of slaves and slaveholders are simply not aware of their past, or share a common desire not to talk about it out of a sense of shame. But, as President Obama said during his campaign, instead of continuing to sweep the issue under the carpet or simply declare it “ancient history,” slavery is something many Americans, black and white, still need to come to terms with if they are going to move forward together to build a more unified country.

Of course, the United States is not alone in having skeletons in its closet. When you think about your family’s history, what historical legacies still lurk in the shadows and perhaps play a part in your country’s modern day politics? Does knowing your family’s role help you understand and motivate you to move forward, or would you rather not know?

The president and first lady welcomed athletes to the White House and discussed the value of the Olympic and Paralympic games, which Chicago hopes to host in 2016.

“The Olympic and Paralympic Games, they hold a special place in our psyche. They lift us up. They bind us together,” President Obama said.

The Olympics, Michelle Obama said, “teach important lessons and set an important example for so many young people.”

“I’m reminded of the commitment to excellence that the games embody, the belief that no matter where you’re from, or what your background is, that if you dream big enough and work hard enough, there are no limits to what you can achieve,” she said.

Next month, Michelle Obama will be leading the U.S. delegation in Copenhagen at a meeting of the International Olympic Committee which will select the 2016 host city. “Nobody loves sports like the people of Chicago,” the first lady said of the town she grew up in.

According to a recent Rasmussen Reports survey, 51 percent of Americans think first lady Michelle Obama is involved in her husband’s policy positions. Eighteen percent believe she is heavily involved. Only nine percent say they think Michelle Obama is not at all involved with policy.

What do you think?

The role of first lady is arguably one of the most powerful and influential nonelected positions in the White House. Michelle Obama is no exception. An accomplished lawyer, former hospital administrator and self-appointed “mom-in-chief,” Michelle Obama serves as a role model for many modern women trying to balance work and family life, as she works to move discussion beyond her wardrobe to engaging the American public on important issues.

Learn more about Michelle Obama’s commitment to service by listening to this America.gov Podcast (MP3 file.)