President Obama has always believed that the arts are a powerful form of expression in a democratic culture and platform to fuel positive change. That belief will be reflected in the future Obama Presidential Center, which will feature a community recording studio, auditorium, and a new branch of the Chicago Public Library!
From all of us at the Obama Foundation, we hope you’re enjoying the holiday season and wish you a happy new year.
—The Obama Foundation Innovation in Action: Joseph Nguthiru |
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| During Earth Month, we spotlighted Joseph Nguthiru, a 2023 Obama Foundation Africa Leader. Joseph was inspired to tackle the issue of water hyacinth, the world’s most problematic aquatic weed, after a dense mat of the weed stranded him and his friends in a boat on Kenya’s Lake Naivasha for hours.
Today, Joseph is the founder of HyaPak Ecotech Limited, a Kenyan-based start-up transforming the water hyacinth plant into biodegradable alternatives for single-use plastic products.
Learn more about Joseph’s journey here. |
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| Young Chicagoan Raven Smith created the t-shirt company Straight From The GO – All Good Things From ChicaGO in 2016 to dispel negative perceptions about violence in Chicago.
During the pandemic, after noticing an uptick in violence in Chicago, Raven decided to create a signature campaign on her classic Straight From The GO t-shirt to inspire the city’s youth. We shared her story with her earlier this year when Michelle Obama became the latest notable Chicagoan to sign a shirt!
Read more about Raven’s story here. |
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Transforming an Immigrant Community: Bethany Rivera Molinar |
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| Bethany Rivera Molinar is a 2023 United States Leader who we spotlighted during Hispanic Heritage Month for her work as the executive director of Ciudad Nueva Community Outreach.
Ciudad Nueva is a nonprofit and community development organization based in El Paso, Texas that works holistically with community members to empower youth, support families, equip leaders, and strengthen the Rio Grande neighborhood, a largely immigrant community.
Learn more about Ciudad Nueva and Bethany’s journey to leading the organization here. |
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An Ode to Chicago: Brandon Breaux |
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This year, Chicago artist Brandon Breaux worked with a group of students attending Dyett High School for the Arts to create a mural dedicated to the South and West sides of Chicago that adorns the fence at the Obama Presidential Center construction site.
Brandon, whose love for art began as a young child, describes the mural as a “collage of our collected experiences” and hopes that it will provide a glimmer of hope to those who need it most.
Read more about the process of creating the mural and the artist behind it here. |
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