Fifteen years ago today, history was made. A tall, skinny Senator from the state of Illinois by the name of Barack Obama was elected President of the United States. He remains the first and only non-White candidate to be elected to the nation’s highest political office. For good measure, he cemented his place in U.S. history further in 2012 by securing another four years in office. On Saturday, November 4, 2023, he took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to reflect on the moment and the impact it had on those around him.
“[Fifteen] years ago today, I asked you to believe in the change we could create together—and you did. I’m so proud of our Obama alumni, many of whom we saw this week, for carrying that mission forward,” the former President wrote.
“To all our Obama alumni who joined Barack and me in Chicago, as well as all those who couldn’t make it, I just want to say thank you for everything you have done over the past 15 years—not just for me, not just for Barack, but for our country and our world,” former First Lady Michelle Obama added.
The Obamas celebrated the historic achievement in Chicago, Illinois at the Obama Foundation Democracy Forum. Bringing together leaders, activists and change-makers, the forum facilitated conversations about “everything from rebuilding trust in our institutions, to the challenges and opportunities that come from AI, to the changing ways we consume information.”
