



Barack Obama shared Obama Foundation's post.
Over the course of the past year, Michelle and I have been working with an extraordinary team to dream up a campus for active citizenship on Chicago’s South Side: The Obama Presidential Center.
Today, we’re taking a significant step forward and I wanted to share the very latest: Obama.org/The-Center


“More than a museum with stories from the past, we want this to be a place that helps all of us to build our collective future. Because in the end, this Center,... most importantly, is for the leaders of tomorrow who are ready to step up and create the world as it should be.” —President Barack Obama on the vision for the Obama Presidential Center, a dynamic place for Chicagoans and visitors alike to gather, exchange ideas, learn, and also have some fun: https://www.obama.org/the-center
See MoreDuring my presidency, I started a tradition of sharing my reading lists and playlists. It was a nice way to reflect on the works that resonated with me and lift up authors and artists from around the world. With some extra time on my hands this year to catch up, I wanted to share the books and music that I enjoyed most. From songs that got me moving to stories that inspired me, here's my 2017 list — I hope you enjoy it and have a happy and healthy New Year.
The best books I ...read in 2017:
The Power by Naomi Alderman
Grant by Ron Chernow
Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City by Matthew Desmond
Janesville: An American Story by Amy Goldstein
Exit West by Mohsin Hamid
Five-Carat Soul by James McBride
Anything Is Possible by Elizabeth Strout
Dying: A Memoir by Cory Taylor
A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles
Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Ward
*Bonus for hoops fans: Coach Wooden and Me by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Basketball (and Other Things) by Shea Serrano
My favorite songs of 2017:
Mi Gente by J Balvin & Willy William
Havana by Camila Cabello (feat. Young Thug)
Blessed by Daniel Caesar
The Joke by Brandi Carlile
First World Problems by Chance The Rapper (feat. Daniel Caesar)
Rise Up by Andra Day
Wild Thoughts by DJ Khaled (feat. Rihanna and Bryson Tiller)
Family Feud by Jay-Z (feat. Beyoncé)
Humble by Kendrick Lamar
La Dame et Ses Valises by Les Amazones d’Afrique (feat. Nneka)
Unforgettable by French Montana (feat. Swae Lee)
The System Only Dreams in Total Darkness by The National
Chanel by Frank Ocean
Feel It Still by Portugal. The Man
Butterfly Effect by Travis Scott
Matter of Time by Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings
Little Bit by Mavis Staples
Millionaire by Chris Stapleton
Sign of the Times by Harry Styles
Broken Clocks by SZA
Ordinary Love (Extraordinary Mix) by U2
*Bonus: Born in the U.S.A. by Bruce Springsteen (not out yet, but the blues version in his Broadway show is the best!)
On behalf of the Obama family, Merry Christmas! We wish you joy and peace this holiday season.
Barack Obama shared Obama Foundation's video.
Wearing a Santa hat helps, too.


There’s no better way to get into the holiday spirit than by giving back to your community. Watch Barack Obama stop by the Boys & Girls Club in DC: https://go.obama.org/holiday-visit
Barack Obama shared Get America Covered's post.
I just got off a call to say thanks to folks who are working hard to help Americans around the country sign up for health care. But it's up to all of us to help to spread the word and tell people they can sign up through this Friday at HealthCare.gov or 1-800-318-2596.
Every plan that you can shop for right now includes free preventive care, like checkups, mammograms, and contraceptive care. There are no more annual or lifetime limits on the essential care you receive. And insurers can't discriminate against you if you've got a preexisting condition. Plus, most people can find plans with monthly premiums under $75.
Don't delay — head over to HealthCare.gov and check out your options.
FRIDAY DEADLINE: This week is your last chance to sign up for affordable 2018 health coverage. Go to HealthCare.gov and #GetCovered today!
Barack Obama shared Obama Foundation's live video.
I’m about to join a town hall with young people from all over India who are charting the course for a better future. I hope you’ll tune in.


Join us for a conversation with President Barack Obama and young people about active citizenship, live from New Delhi on December 1st at 3:45pm IST.
From the Obama family to yours, we wish you a Happy Thanksgiving full of joy and gratitude.
Barack Obama added 2 new photos.
Yesterday, I dropped by a service project in Northeast D.C., where a group of veterans were fixing up a public housing project. Just think about that for a moment. On a day dedicated to honoring their sacrifice, these veterans chose to honor their fellow citizens. They chose to roll up their sleeves and ask, “Now, what else can I do?”
Today is a day to honor those who have honored our country with its highest form of service. We owe our veterans our thanks. Our respect. Our freedom. Today, we humbly acknowledge that we can never truly serve our veterans in quite the same way that they served us. But we can try. We can practice kindness. We can volunteer. We can serve. We can respect one another. We can have each other’s backs. We can ask, “Now, what else can I do?”
Barack Obama shared Obama Foundation's live video.


In a conversation with poet Elizabeth Alexander, Mrs. Obama will discuss her sources of inspiration and what it takes to live a life of public service.
Barack Obama shared Get America Covered's video.
Starting today, you can sign up for 2018 health coverage. Head on over to HealthCare.gov and find a plan that meets your needs and your budget. And spread the word so your friends and family can, too.


Today’s the day! You can go to HealthCare.gov right now and sign up for 2018 health coverage. Need a pre-enrollment pep talk? President Barack Obama has you covered.
Barack Obama was live.
Tonight, the ex-Presidents are getting together in Texas to support all our fellow Americans rebuilding from this year’s hurricanes. Join us. Tune in and find out how you can help at OneAmericaAppeal.org.


Barack Obama shared Obama Foundation's video.
I feel lucky to spend time with young leaders like these. Keep up the good work, São Paulo.


Young leaders in São Paulo sat down with Barack Obama yesterday to share the ways they’re creating a better future for their community. Watch the video and learn more about the ways these young people are changing the world: https://go.obama.org/brazil
When I left office, I told you all that the single most important thing I could do would be to help prepare the next generation of leaders to take their own crack at changing the world. The Obama Foundation Fellows program is looking to do just that -- train and support civic innovators who are solving problems in their communities in creative and powerful ways. Apply to join our inaugural class of twenty Fellows by Friday, October 6th: www.Obama.org/Fellowship
I dropped in on Michelle’s talk at the Pennsylvania Conference for Women to deliver a message on our 25th wedding anniversary. Asking you to go out with me is the best decision I ever made. I love you, Michelle.


Barack Obama shared Obama Foundation's video.
Michelle and I want the Obama Foundation to inspire and empower people to change the world. Here's how we're getting started this fall - I hope you'll be a part of it.


An announcement from President Obama about a chance for community leaders around the world to exchange ideas in Chicago. Get ready for the inaugural Obama Foundation Summit. https://www.obama.org/summit
America’s long journey towards equality has been guided by countless small acts of persistence, and fueled by the stubborn willingness of quiet heroes to speak out for what’s right.
Few were as small in stature as Edie Windsor – and few made as big a difference to America.
I had the privilege to speak with Edie a few days ago, and to tell her one more time what a difference she made to this country we love. She was engaged to her partner, Thea, for forty years. After a wed...ding in Canada, they were married for less than two. But federal law didn’t recognize a marriage like theirs as valid – which meant that they were denied certain federal rights and benefits that other married couples enjoyed. And when Thea passed away, Edie spoke up – not for special treatment, but for equal treatment – so that other legally married same-sex couples could enjoy the same federal rights and benefits as anyone else.
In my second inaugural address, I said that if we are truly created equal, then surely the love we commit to one another must be equal as well. And because people like Edie stood up, my administration stopped defending the so-called Defense of Marriage Act in the courts. The day that the Supreme Court issued its 2013 ruling in United States v. Windsor was a great day for Edie, and a great day for America – a victory for human decency, equality, freedom, and justice. And I called Edie that day to congratulate her.
Two years later, to the day, we took another step forward on our journey as the Supreme Court recognized a Constitutional guarantee of marriage equality. It was a victory for families, and for the principle that all of us should be treated equally, regardless of who we are or who we love.
I thought about Edie that day. I thought about all the millions of quiet heroes across the decades whose countless small acts of courage slowly made an entire country realize that love is love – and who, in the process, made us all more free. They deserve our gratitude. And so does Edie.
Michelle and I offer our condolences to her wife, Judith, and to all who loved and looked up to Edie Windsor.























