“And they’re watching us,” she said. “And we’re raising a nation of young people that are timid and doubtful and limited. ... And they’ve stopped trying, and I don’t want that for my girls.”

Michelle Obama spent much of the speech talking about how she was raised by a blue-collar worker on the southside of Chicago, and how her husband was raised by a single, teenage, white mother in the 1960s.

“There were no silver spoons in Barack Obama’s life,” she said.

The candidate’s plan includes ideas to create universal health care, to make college more affordable, to improve public education and several other key talking points, Michelle Obama said. Opponents have questioned his abilities because of his young age and number of years of experience, she said.

“The question isn’t about whether Barack is ready,” she said. “The question is about us. ... Change starts within all of us. We cannot expect difference if we’re doing the same thing. That’s why we need you more than ever.”

People need to set aside their differences, put away the cynicism and be ready to unify and work for a change, Michelle Obama said, and then the country can change.

“If you’re ready for that kind of change, then the only person in this race you can possibly consider is Barack Obama,” she said.

Mayor Kris Ockomon, who sat in the front row, said he thought Michelle Obama spoke about issues people in the community were facing.

“Obviously, I’ve come out in public and endorsed Hillary (Clinton),” he said. “I was impressed by (Michelle Obama’s) ability to relate to the public in a genuine way.”