December 10, 2018
Face to Face with the Fellows: Alex Smith
After Obama Fellow Alex Smith forged an unexpected but powerful friendship with an 84-year-old man in his neighborhood, he took it upon himself to fight the sobering epidemic of loneliness. Read the full story +
Chicago legend and icon, Timuel Black, turned 100 on December 7, 2018. He has been instrumental in making the city of Chicago and our world a better place, and we could not be more grateful.
November 18, 2018
Email from President Obama: “I see myself in these young people”
President Obama sent a message to the Obama Foundation email list about the fifteen communities selected as part of a national competition among MBK Communities… Read more
October 31, 2018
Obama Presidential Center Gains Final Approval from Chicago City Council
City Council Unanimously Approves Use Agreement Chicago IL — Today the Chicago City Council voted 48-0 to approve agreements between the City of… More
October 24, 2018
Face to Face with the Fellows: Sasha Fisher
Sasha Fisher’s childhood home was just five blocks away from Ground Zero, and the attacks served as a doorway into international relations and a commitment to improve how the interconnected world works. Read the full story behind her journey to start Spark MicroGrants, an organization that helps communities develop and launch their own social impact projects. Read more +
October 12, 2018
Hurricane Michael Relief: How You Can Help
With sudden fury, Hurricane Michael made landfall on Wednesday in the Florida Panhandle. One of the most intense hurricanes ever to hit the United States, Michael continued to devastate communities as it stretched a path through Georgia, the Carolinas and Virginia. Learn how you can help +
October 10, 2018
Face to Face with the Fellows: Zarlasht Halaimzai
As the founder of the Refugee Trauma Initiative (RTI), Zarlasht Halaimzai has provided psychological first aid to thousands of refugees stranded at camps and community centers in Greece. Read her full story +
September 29, 2018
President Obama joins 11 young leaders from across Europe for roundtable conversation
President Obama sat down with a group of 11 emerging leaders working as civil servants, organizers and more from across Europe. Get to know them here.
Sarah Ward started SkyART—a non-profit that offers free visual arts programming for young people on the South Side of Chicago—to help children get in touch with their creativity and while encouraging them to tap into their imagination, explore new paths, and express themselves fully.
September 17, 2018
Go back in time to the 2008 Election
As part of our oral history project, President Obama shared his memories from that historic night with us. Relive the 2008 Election through the eyes and words of those who lived it, then share your own memories right here.
See highlights from the Obama Foundation Scholars orientation in Chicago last month, and hear what President Obama has to say about the Scholars and the journey they’re embarking on at the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy and Columbia University.
September 12, 2018
A South Side Education
Thirty seven people from around the world were selected by the Obama Foundation to study in the US. Their first lesson begins on the South Side of Chicago. In this first of a two-part series, we follow the Obama Scholars as they learn about the history of the South Side. Read more +
Sometimes you need more than a cup of coffee to start your day. Take a look inside @sipofhopecoffee, a Chicago coffee shop that pairs a strong brew with a gentle affirmation: it’s okay to not be okay. One hundred percent of their proceeds support proactive suicide prevention and mental health education.
September 7, 2018
Face to Face with the Fellows: Melissa Malzkuhn
Melissa Malzkuhn grew up in a third-generation-signing deaf family. However, not all deaf children have early sign language acquisition and an immersive literacy experience. Through her digital media space, Motion Light Lab, she’s reinventing the storybook and building immersive apps for deaf children to change that. Read her full story +
September 4, 2018
Face to Face with the Fellows: Keith Wattley
Obama Fellow, Keith Wattley, started Uncommon Law to provide people convicted of serious crimes the counseling and support they need to get back on track after release. Read his full story +
Using his artwork as a celebration of the human spirit and as an example of the positivity that can arise from adversity, Antonio Davis inspires children in his community to contribute in unique, meaningful ways.
We're launching a story collection archive to preserve your memories from 2008. Learn how to submit your story right here.