GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — For the first time, a woman in the role of first lady will attend the annual First Ladies Luncheon in West Michigan.
The Gerald R. Ford Presidential Foundation announced First Lady Jill Biden will be the featured guest speaker at the First Ladies Luncheon on April 26. Biden will be the first sitting first lady to be the event's keynote speaker.
The foundation invited Biden to help mark 50 years since then-first lady Betty Ford publicly announced her breast cancer diagnosis in 1974, helping to change the conversation about women's health in America. Jill Biden has been a champion of the White House Initiative on Women's Health Research, which looks to change how the U.S. approaches and funds research on women's health.
“This is an exciting time for the Ford Presidential Foundation and our partners the First Ladies Association for Research and Education (FLARE) and American University’s School of Public Affairs,” says Gleaves Whitney, executive director of the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Foundation. “Our three organizations are dedicated to expanding knowledge of the first ladies, who form a remarkable and unified club in American history. Their experiences and insights have enriched our nation immeasurably. We are so proud to host First Lady Jill Biden as we highlight another remarkable first lady, our own Betty Ford.”
The 2024 First Ladies Luncheon is scheduled to be held Friday, April 26 at the J.W. Marriott Hotel.
The luncheon will be followed by a half-day conference honoring Betty Ford. The conference will focus on Mrs. Ford's time as first lady, and how she launched the first first ladies conference in 1984. Speakers include Ford's daughter Susan Ford Bales, former Ford Administration Press Secretary Sheila Rabb Weidenfeld, and several professors and authors who specialize on the role of the first lady.
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