Michelle Obama to co-chair 'The Roots Picnic' at its first virtual gig

The Roots Picnic, an annual music festival created and hosted by hip-hop group The Roots, will host a virtual gig this year in wake of the coronavirus pandemic. The annual get down scheduled for later this month will also serve as a voter registration drive, and will have the United States former first lady Michelle Obama as its special co-chair.

Michelle Obama, who has been spearheading a campaign for in-mail voting through her nonpartisan organisation "When We All Vote," has joined hands with the hip hop band for the annual event which will be held virtually on June 27. The former FLOTUS took to Twitter on Tuesday to announce the news and said she "couldn't be more excited" about the partnership.

"Couldn't be more excited that @whenweallvote is teaming up to co-host @TheRoots Picnic on June 27! Join us and get registered to vote," the 56-year-old wrote alongside a link to a page on the website of When We All Vote which asked for RSVP for the event.

H.E.R., Lil Baby, SZA, Roddy Ricch, Snoh Aalegra, D-Nic, and Kirk Franklin are among the artists slated to perform at the 13th annual Roots Picnic, which will stream on YouTube on Saturday, June 27, starting 8 pm EST. The event will have several other prominent guests including Tom Hanks, Chris Paul, Janelle Monae, Lin-Manuel Miranda, and Kerry Washington.

The mother-of-two recently headlined the virtual graduation ceremony "Dear Class of 2020" organised by YouTube earlier this month, for which she was joined by her husband Barack Obama. The former first couple gave separate commencement speeches, as well as a joint message for the graduates.

During her speech, Michelle lauded the students for taking the finals while supporting their loved ones during the COVID-19 crisis. She also addressed the Black Lives Matter movement that has gained momentum since the death of African-American George Floyd in police custody in Minnesota last month.

"Graduates, you all are exactly what we need right now, and for the years and decades to come. You learn so much, so quickly. And not only can do better than those before you — you will. It's your time. I can't wait to see you all take the reigns," she said.