Hi there,
Since leaving the White House, Michelle and I decided that the most important thing we could do was pass the torch of leadership on to a new generation.
Throughout our history, so much of the progress that we’ve made has been led by young people. Dr. King and Malcolm X were young people. Dolores Huerta and Cesar Chávez were young people. The movements for women’s rights, LGBTQ equality, an end to gun violence, and climate change have all been led by young people.
So today, when I see young people all across the country stepping up and speaking out in such meaningful ways about racial equity and police violence—when I see their talent, their passion, their effectiveness—I’m as optimistic as ever. It reaffirms to me that despite the profound challenges we’re facing, the world is going to get better.
But it won’t happen on its own.
That’s why, at the Obama Foundation, we want to build a community of young leaders who are eager to tackle the issues facing their neighborhoods, cities, and countries. We want to inspire, empower, and connect them to change their world.
Take a look at some of the people our Foundation has reached—and if you feel inspired to lead in your community, I hope you’ll add your voice to theirs.
Right now, our society is reckoning with problems that are decades, sometimes centuries, in the making. Systemic racism. Widening inequality. The lack of basic health care for millions. Divisions and dysfunctions that fray our civic fabric and limit our ability to overcome problems we know how to solve. The COVID-19 pandemic is a dramatic and devastating example of the real-life costs of our inability to find lasting solutions to these challenges.
But as tragic, as daunting, and as entrenched as these issues are, we still have an incredible opportunity to change the status quo. Rather than accept the world as it is, we can remake the world as it should be—a world that’s fairer, more just, and more equitable; a world where we focus on what unites us instead of what divides us.
So, if you’re ready to build that world, our Foundation is here to help. Whether you’re a young person eager to lead, or simply young at heart and looking to support a new way of doing things, we’re here to pass the torch on to you. Because now more than ever, it’s people like you who will light the way forward.
—Barack
P.S. If you haven’t already, follow @obamafoundation on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter to see some of the good our leaders are doing in the world.
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