We hope the optimism and spirit of Freedom Summer 2022 transcends seasons and becomes part of a collective undertaking to take an active interest in the safety, engagement and protection of our boys. Click here to check out #FreedomSummer2022 highlights: https://t.co/9CvBMCGFZ1pic.twitter.com/ItWXCWR8Iz
President Barack Obama speaks to the media during a lunch with young men at the White House. The men are participating in the White House Mentorship and Leadership Program
Noah McQueen used to spend more time fighting and getting arrested than getting good grades and listening to advice. He changed households and public schools 10 times before he landed at the Maryland Juvenile Justice Cheltenham Youth Center. But times have changed. “Do you need a ride back to the White House?” a presidential aide asked McQueen, 19, as he stood inside Eddie’s Hair Design in Adams Morgan on a recent day. “No, I have my own car now,” he responded. McQueen didn’t need a barber; he had a fresh haircut. He was there to work. McQueen was there with Broderick Johnson, head of the White House’s My Brother’s Keeper initiative, to be a role model to students from Marie Reed Elementary School.
The initiative was launched last year to improve educational and job opportunities for young men of color. White House officials, including President Obama, have worked hard to help McQueen. His life changed three years ago, when, as a student at Dr. Henry A. Wise Jr. High School in Upper Marlboro, he began mentoring children at nearby Barack Obama Elementary. “I get choked up . . . when I think about where I was,” McQueen said as he reflected on a troubled childhood that included several suspensions, arrests and other run-ins with the law. Now McQueen is a freshman at Morehouse College in Atlanta. He graduated in May from Wise, where he finished with a 3.25 grade-point average even though his freshman and sophomore years were academic disasters.
Vice President Joe Biden is AMAZING. Why? Because he has heart. He cares so much for people. He doesn’t care how many zeros you have have behind your name. He cares about you as a person. For VP Biden, people are not abstract. People matter. Their hopes matter. Their disappointments matter. Their failures matter. Their obstacles matter. Their dreams matter. Their futures matter. How blessed we are to live in a country where we can proudly say, Joe Biden is Vice President of the United States of America
“At the annual State of the Union address at the U.S. Capitol, Chuck Kennedy captured this poignant moment between the First Lady and U.S. Army Ranger Sgt. First Class Cory Remsburg. Cory first met the President in 2009 at a D-Day ceremony in Normandy. Four months later, Cory was badly injured in Afghanistan and in a coma for three months. In early 2010, shortly after Cory came out of his coma, the President happened to be visiting patients at Walter Reed Hospital. As he walked into one of the patient’s rooms, hanging on the wall was a photo I had taken of the President and Cory in Normandy. The President then realized that he had met this badly injured Army Ranger at Normandy. Two years later, we were visiting Arizona, where Cory had gone home to further recuperate. The President asked if Cory would be able to greet him backstage. Amazingly, Cory was able to salute the President and walk across the room aided by a walker to shake hands with the President.” (Official White House Photo by Chuck Kennedy)
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February 4, 2014
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“Members of Congress vie for the President’s attention following a meeting with the House Democratic Caucus in the East Room of the White House.” (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
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“The President talks with some of his national security advisors before a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin about the situation in Ukraine. I’m sure there will be people quick to comment about his wearing casual clothes and having his feet on his coffee table. Let’s keep perspective in mind: it was a Saturday, and a President is the President whether he’s wearing a suit on a weekday or casual clothes on a weekend. And a President, any President, isn’t disrespecting the office if he puts his feet on a table or a desk; he’s just being relaxed.” (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
** 10:25: Delivers remarks at Capitol Square, Concord **
11:50: Departs Manchester, New Hampshire
2:50: Arrives Hollywood, Florida
** 3:40: Delivers remarks at McArthur High School, Hollywood **
5:0: Departs Hollywood
7:10: Arrives Cincinnati, Ohio
** 7:55: Delivers remarks at 5th/3rd Arena, Cincinnati **
9:10: Departs Cincinnati
MDT
9:50: Arrives Aurora, Colorado
** 10:25: Delivers remarks at Community College of Aurora at Lowry **
11:30: Departs Aurora
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NYT: This year, voting is more than just the core responsibility of citizenship; it is an act of defiance against malicious political forces determined to reduce access to democracy. Millions of ballots on Tuesday – along with those already turned in – will be cast despite the best efforts of Republican officials around the country to prevent them from playing a role in the 2012 election.
Even now, many Republicans are assembling teams to intimidate voters at polling places, to demand photo ID where none is required, and to cast doubt on voting machines or counting systems whose results do not go their way. The good news is that the assault on voting will not affect the election nearly as much as some had hoped. Courts have either rejected or postponed many of the worst laws. Predictions that up to five million people might be disenfranchised turned out to be unfounded.
But a great deal of damage has already been done….
Public outcry, with support from the courts, may eventually remove these threats to democracy. For now, those who contribute to a heavy turnout on Tuesday will send a message that Americans reject any underhanded effort to place political gain above a franchise for which people have given their lives.
I hate linking to Huffington Post, but it’s worth it for the ‘Open Letter to President Obama’ that accompanies this amazing photo – see here (Thank you DesertFlower)
The Obama Diary 
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