With the inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump less than 2 weeks ago, POTUS, Barack Obama, his family, and his staff are preparing to say their farewells after 8 historic years in the White House.
On Jan 6th, FLOTUS Michelle Obama gave her final remarks as First Lady, as she encouraged the young people in our country to remain hopeful.
She stated, on the verge of tears:
“So that’s my final message to young people as First Lady. It is simple. I want our young people to know that they matter, that they belong. So don’t be afraid — you hear me, young people? Don’t be afraid. Be focused. Be determined. Be hopeful. Be empowered. Empower yourselves with a good education, then get out there and use that education to build a country worthy of your boundless promise. Lead by example with hope, never fear. And know that I will be with you, rooting for you and working to support you for the rest of my life.
And that is true I know for every person who are here — is here today, and for educators and advocates all across this nation who get up every day and work their hearts out to lift up our young people. And I am so grateful to all of you for your passion and your dedication and all the hard work on behalf of our next generation. And I can think of no better way to end my time as First Lady than celebrating with all of you.
So I want to close today by simply saying thank you. Thank you for everything you do for our kids and for our country. Being your First Lady has been the greatest honor of my life, and I hope I’ve made you proud.”
The Obamas also held a farewell party at the White House on January 6th, which went on late in to the night.
Attendees included Solange Knowles, John Legend, Chrissy Teigen, Jerry Seinfeld, Nick Jonas, Jordin Sparks, Usher, Kelly Rowland, La La Anthony, Jay Pharoah and Chance the Rapper, according to celebrity posts on social media.
For his farewell address, President Obama will return to Chicago where it all began on January 10, 2017 at 8 p.m. CST / 9 p.m. EST, the White House announced.
On the White House website, President Obama wrote that he was just beginning to write his remarks, which he considers an opportunity to “say thank you for this amazing journey, to celebrate the ways you’ve changed this country for the better these past eight years, and to offer some thoughts on where we all go from here.”
“So I hope you’ll join me one last time. Because, for me, it’s always been about you,” he concluded.
Although free tickets to the event are sold out, https://www.whitehouse.gov/Farewell will show the event live.
Last week, the White House also shared a celebrity filled video which had everyone from Kerry Washington to Jerry Seinfeld sharing what moments made you say “Yes, We can”.
Now the White House is asking everyone else to share their thoughts on what moment made you say “Yes, we can.” You can submit it on the website or share it on social media channels using the hashtag #YesWeCan.
Here’s a few of our favorites:
Jerry Seinfeld: “Knocking on Oval Office window, I would say. that was probably the peak of my entire existence.”
Gloria Steinem: “It was the first time in my life that I felt the White House belonged to everybody.”
Kerry Washington: You really felt those first three words of the Constitution- we the people. It was one of the first times in my life that I felt that I was really a part of that we.
And finally Michael Jordan: “How often do we remember Jackie Robinson — everybody knows him. To me, he will be the Jackie Robinson of politics from my standpoint.
