barack obama Archives - Rolling Out

Former President Barack Obama congratulated NBA players with the Milwaukee Bucks for boycotting their game on Wednesday, Aug. 27, 2020, to protest the recent police shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin. Blake, who is Black, was shot multiple times during an encounter with several White officers on Sunday, Aug. 23. The shooting has sparked…

In what could be considered his most scathing speech as a prominent figure, former President Barack Obama delivered a message to the American people that served as a key moment during the third day of the 2020 Democratic National Convention. Obama addressed the nation during a live feed delivered at the Museum of the American…

Barack Obama picked songs by the likes of Billie Eilish, Beyoncé and Frank Ocean for his 2020 summer playlist. The former president of the United States took to social media this week to unveil his top tracks for the season, including a number of stars who will be performing at the Democratic National Convention this…

U.S. Sen. Kamala Harris, D-California, is eligible to become the vice president or president of the United States under the 14th Amendment of the Constitution. This incontrovertible fact was confirmed by a bevy of media outlets and pundits who already knew that the former Bay Area prosecutor and California attorney general possessed the requisite qualifications…

Former President Barack Obama delivered a powerful eulogy for Congressman John Lewis. On Thursday, July 30, 2020, the 44th U.S. president shared details of Lewis’ upbringing and rise as a civil rights leader during the ceremony, which took place at historic Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta. “I’ve come here today, because I, like so many…

The Rev. C.T. Vivian, a minister, civil rights icon and lieutenant of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., died Friday, July 17, 2020, at his home in Atlanta. He was 95. Born Cordy Tindell Vivian in 1924 in Howard County, Missouri, he began his career as an activist in 1947 when he participated in a…

Daniels Family Reunion

For nearly 30 years, three words have been my answer to a number of queries received from the White People’s Delegation of America. “Why don’t you watch ‘Friends’ or HBO’s ‘Girls’?” “Because I’m Black.” “Why do you like Popeyes and not KFC?” “Because I’m Black.” “Why do you think O.J. Simpson is innocent?” “Because I’m…

Barack and Michelle Obama hosted their “Dear Class of 2020” virtual graduation ceremony via YouTube on Sunday, June 7, 2020. The Obamas invited a host of celebrities, including Alicia Keys and Beyoncé, to congratulate and uplift this year’s graduating class. The program featured a performance by Lizzo, accompanied by the New York Philharmonic. She played a…

Barack Obama has been notably more vocal since the arrival of the coronavirus pandemic and with Joe Biden becoming the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee. Obama, 58, has stepped up his attacks on the White House for its abysmal mishandling of COVID-19 and pointed out how the disease is disproportionately impacting communities of color. The former…

Reed Shannon is a triple threat in the making. The 19-year-old singer, actor and comedian got his first big break playing a young Michael Jackson in Broadway’s Motown: The Musical, having been handpicked by Motown founder Berry Gordy for the role because of his vocal abilities. Shannon has also appeared in TV shows on Nickelodeon…

Former President Barack Obama refused to comply with a right-wing senator’s statement that he “should’ve kept his mouth shut” about the current president’s questionable response to the global pandemic. In fact, Obama, 58, clapped back publicly at conservative U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell and the White House after the Republican senator from Kentucky demanded Obama remain…

Former President Barack Obama recently teamed up with former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder to discuss how young Black males can be affected by the global pandemic. During a recent conference call hosted by My Brother’s Keeper, an initiative created during the Obama administration to empower young Black males, Obama and Holder shared why it’s…

Michelle Obama’s Becoming book tour is to be the subject of a new documentary on Netflix. The program — which shares the same name as the former first lady’s memoir — follows Obama as she tours 34 cities across America to talk about her book, which was released in 2018. It is being released as…

One student’s innocuous request for former President Barack Obama to be the commencement speaker at his high school quickly mushroomed into a viral movement that’s spread across the country. A herd of anxious users stampeded onto their Twitter accounts to echo the student’s request, and now they are asking the 44th commander in chief to…

Former President Barack Obama ended his self-imposed moratorium from public political pronouncements on Tuesday, April 14, 2020, when he officially endorsed his former vice president, Joe Biden. Biden, 77, the presumptive Democratic nominee for president, emerged victorious when his last and most formidable party foe, Sen. Bernie Sanders, D-Vermont, dropped out of the race after…

Folks are forced to find unique ways to fill the vast void stemming from the suspension or cancellation of America’s major sporting leagues as well as concerts, cruises and conferences due to the coronavirus pandemic. Some are gorging themselves on books while others feast on new cable TV shows. And some believe that the former…

Former President Barack Obama joined the multitude of fans celebrating the life of basketball legend Kobe Bryant during the 2020 NBA All-Star weekend in Chicago. Obama, 58, is a renowned basketball junkie who often played games against former athletes and celebrities during his eight-year tenure in the White house. He spoke about the devastating loss…

Michelle Obama said that she and Barack Obama “bawled like babies” when they dropped off youngest daughter Sasha, 18, to begin her collegiate career at the University of Michigan. But she told Oprah Winfrey that there was one benefit to being an empty nester: she rediscovered her marriage to her husband. The former FLOTUS had…

Barack and Michelle Obama once took possession of the highest office in the land. Now, they are in possession of the highest award in American movies. The former president and first lady took home an Academy Award when their production company, Higher Ground, won the Oscar statue for American Factory for best feature-length documentary on…

Shoe manufacturing colossus Nike has given former President Barack Obama $5 million toward the construction of a sports facility on the campus of the Obama Presidential Center. The $500 million center has yet to begin construction but will be located in Jackson Park on the South Side of Chicago and is scheduled to be completed…