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Obama endorses Beyonce: Role model for White House daughters

Beyonce hosts a campaign fundraiser for President Obama, and comes away with her own endorsement from the president as a role model for his daughters.

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AP Photo/Elise Amendola, File
Beyonce sings to President Obama and first lady Michelle Obama on Jan. 20, 2009, at an inaugural ball in Washington.
  • By Monitor Staff

Beyonce – singer and new mom of baby girl Blue Ivy –  and her husband Jay-Z hosted a $40,000-a plate fundraiser for President Barack Obama's reelection campaign Sept. 19 with her husband at his 40/40 club in New York and got a presidential endorsement of her own ... as a role model to the first daughters.

"Beyonce could not be a better role model for my girls," Mr. Obama remarked.

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Which seems on point, because Michelle Obama has said Beyonce is her role model. When asked in May to choose someone she would like to emulate, the First Lady said, "I'd be Beyonce."  And, Beyonce, too, has said Michelle is her role model.

The mutual backscratching has its roots in some wholesome mutual interests:

Beyonce has publicly supported the Obama campaign for years but went above and beyond this April by sending an open letter and video in support of the first lady. Citing Mrs. Obama as "the ultimate example of a truly strong African American woman," Beyonce describes the First Lady as a role model worth celebrating.

The dynamic duo also collaborated on a video entitled "Move Your Body," as part of a campaign designed to get kids fit through exercise. Beyonce even surprised students at Don Pedro Albizu campus in New York City last year by performing alongside them to the official "Lets Move! Flash Workout" for New York City.

Fundraising for the president clearly links her to the Obama brood, but Beyonce also has been active in fundraising for charities throughout her career. 

Co-founder of the Survivor Foundation, an organization dedicated to helping victims of Katrina, she was also an ambassador for World Children’s Day in 2005 which takes place internationally every Nov. 20. In 2004, she teamed up with Jay-Z and raised $1 million for the Shawn Carter Foundation, a nonprofit that provides scholarships for low income students pursuing higher education.

In 2010, The Council of Fashion Designers of America named Beyonce the official face of their “Fashion For Haiti” T-shirt. All Proceeds were donated to the Clinton Bush Haiti Fund.

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Don't forget to add female empowerment to the philanthropic star's repertoire, Beyonce recorded the song, "Run the world (Girls)," a track capable of serenading any young girl whether she’s an Obama or not. 

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