First lady Melania Trump is making good on a promise she made earlier this year to combat childhood bullying, taking a surprise trip Monday to a middle school in a Detroit suburb.
Trump is bringing awareness to a problem that many children are confronted with on a daily basis. She will give brief remarks to students and then join them for lunch as they participate in a “No One Eats Alone Day” event. The concept, which encourages kids not to leave anyone out at lunchtime, was created by Beyond Differences, a national organization that works to combat detrimental school culture and prevent bullying.
“In doing research for her platform, the first lady learned of #NoOneEatsAlone,” Trump’s communications director Stephanie Grisham told CNN. “She wants to talk to kids about the importance of being inclusive and the negative effects of social isolation. This kind of activity also fosters integrity and leadership in young kids.”
Last month during a United Nations speech in New York City, Trump said she intended to use her position as first lady of the United States to help with issues facing children. She included bullying in her list of concerns.
“Together, we must acknowledge that all too often it is the weakest, most innocent and vulnerable among us — our children — who ultimately suffer the most from the challenges that plague our societies,” the first lady had said. “Whether it is drug addiction, bullying, poverty, disease, trafficking, illiteracy or hunger, it is the children who are hit first and hardest in any country. And as we all know, the future of every nation rests with the promise of their young people.”