The first lady and her daughter Malia were seen by photographers entering the Gothic-inspired cathedral on the unannounced stop. Mrs. Obama was dressed in black with dark glasses, while Malia wore a white blouse with black trousers. Mrs. Obama made no comment and issued no statement. Nine people, including the pastor, were killed overnight at a prayer meeting inside a historic black church in downtown Charleston.
Earlier today, Mrs. Obama visited the Expo 2015 World's Fair in Milan, which focuses on food and nutrition. She found kindred spirits in her campaign to promote healthy eating during visits to the US and the Italian pavilions.
She spent some time discussing the vertical garden covering the length of pavilion, which has rotating panels of herbs and vegetables that are engineered to maximize sunlight exposure.
Mrs. Obama said the pavilion was "awe-inspiring."
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"The most impactful part of it, obviously, is the vertical farm, the largest of its kind. And I couldn't help but think about all the issues we face around hunger, around food deserts in our countries and places all over the world. And when you walk around this pavilion, you think the solutions are right in our grasp," Mrs. Obama told some 60 student delegates during a question-and-answer session at the end of the tour.
While Mrs. Obama conducted official business, her daughters Malia and Sasha took in some of the rest of the vast Expo, boarding an electric vehicle that ferried them away.
The Expo themes dovetail with the first lady's "Let's Move" initiative to fight childhood obesity through diet and exercise. She told the student delegates that collective efforts have resulted in a halt to the growth in childhood obesity among America's smallest children.
One video advised that "food is still good the next day. You just have to make it look different," which got a chuckle from Mrs. Obama.