Michelle also used the occasion to remember the victims of Oak Creek Gurdwara.
"As we gather here this Diwali, we remember that there is still evil in the world. And I'm thinking today about what happened in Oak Creek, Wisconsin just last year when an act of unthinkable violence shook a community to its core. But I am also thinking of how in the face of such evil, we also witnessed the power of goodness and forgiveness," she said.
"The families and community leaders I met when I visited Oak Creek just weeks after the tragedy, they showed us such courage and grace. Instead of giving in to bitterness or despair, they honored those they lost through service," she said.