President Barack Obama will appear at the South by Southwest Media and Music Conference where he will take part in a discussion about “civic engagement in the 21st Century.”
The President will appear alongside Evan Smith, CEO / Editor in Chief of The Texas Tribune on Friday March 11th at the SXSW Interactive conference. It will see them engage in an open conversation about the future uses of technology within our society in front of an audience of creators and entrepreneurs. And will also branch out into larger issues, such as climate change and political philosophies. It will mark the first time in the festival’s 30- year history that they will have a sitting president appear at the event.
First Lady Michelle Obama will also make an appearance at the event a week later. She will open proceedings with a Keynote address about the Let Girls Learn initiative that seeks to get more girls into the education system worldwide. The government run program is said to want to “leverage the investments we have made and success we have achieved in global primary schools, and expand them to help adolescent girls complete their education.”
“I can’t imagine a better way to celebrate our event’s 30th year than to welcome both the President and First Lady to SXSW,” Co-founder Roland Swenson said.
“As each new generation comes up at SXSW they look for ways they can be of service. And it’s important to reflect and support that message. President and Mrs. Obama’s visit here will inspire attendees to that purpose.”
The 2016 edition takes place across a six day period in March and alongside influential speakers will also feature a whole host of talented musicians including Anderson .Paak and Everything Everything. While last year’s edition featured the considerable talents of Ghostface Killah, Vic Mensa, and Chance the Rapper.
Image: Aude Guerrucci- Getty Images