BO & MO: Nothing But Respect For Our Presidents

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A Shining Beacon

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Taylor Lewis: President And Michelle Obama’s Legacy Lives On In October Issue Of ESSENCE

It’s the end of an era. While the Obamas are hoping that their initiatives—My Brother’s Keeper, Let’s Move, Let Girls Learn, to name a few—will live on, the couple hopes to hold onto the memories that they’ve made during their eights years in DC. Some of my fondest memories of the White House are just being with the girls on a summer night and walking the dogs around the South Lawn, talking and listening to them, trying to get Bo to move because sometimes it’s hot.”

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We’re saluting @BarackObama & @FLOTUS in a historic Oct. issue. Pick it up 9/9! #EssenceMag https://t.co/3T3JGzqSP4 pic.twitter.com/S5UWVrUA3R

— ESSENCE (@Essence) September 7, 2016

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“I think when it comes to Black kids, it means something for them to have spent most of their life seeing the family in the White House look like them,” Mrs. Obama said. “It matters. All the future work that Barack talked about, I think over these last few years, we’ve kind of knocked the ceiling of limitation off the roofs of many young kids; imaginations of what’s possible for them. And as a mother, I wouldn’t underestimate how important that is, having that vision that you can really do anything—not because somebody told you, but because you’ve seen and experienced it. I think that will be a lasting impact on our kids.”

More here

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#MyBrothersKeeper: A Brighter Future

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Hamil R. Harris: White House Mentee Heads To Morehouse College

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.

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Congratulations and good luck, Noah!

White House mentee heads to Morehouse College http://t.co/PgcBpMeLmG

— Noah McQueen (@Noah_McQueen) August 20, 2015

#MyBrothersKeeper in action: Check out White House mentee Noah McQueen's inspiring story → http://t.co/Y95bMnQdPM pic.twitter.com/JnG6E04yXo

— White House Archived (@ObamaWhiteHouse) August 20, 2015

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Very proud of Noah & all our mentees going to college! "White House mentee heads to Morehouse" #MyBrothersKeeper http://t.co/juXlP4PiIh

— Broderick Johnson (@Broderick44) August 20, 2015

This is a great story to start your day with: White House mentee heads to Morehouse College via @washingtonpost http://t.co/DnBkq5FcKt

— Jen Friedman (NARA) (@JFriedman44) August 20, 2015