GettyImages-1184273896

Love is in the air! Former President, Barack Obama and former First Lady, Michelle Obama, are celebrating their 31st wedding anniversary! The two shared some kind words with each other on their respective Instagram accounts. https://www.instagram.com/p/Cx8LQlPOUos/Michelle shared a picture of the couple looking joyous as ever."31 years, and a lifetime to go," she captioned the post. "I love going through life with you by my side, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/BarackObama/">@BarackObama</a>. Happy anniversary, honey!"The former president shared his own picture of the two of them —also just as joyous— with a personal, loving caption."Happy anniversary, sweetheart! @MichelleObama, you're brilliant, kind, funny and beautiful — and I'm lucky to call you mine," he wrote.The couple said their "I do's" in 1992 after three years of dating. Their love story began in Chicago when Michelle was assigned to mentor Barack during his summer law internship.

Michelle and Barack Obama Celebrate Their 31st Anniversary

GettyImages-1446121264

Former <a href="https://www.wbls.com/wbls-news/barack-obamas-grandmother-sarah-obama-passes-away-at-99">President Barack Obama</a> disappointedly addressed his concerns regarding the rise of book bans in the U.S.As reported by <a href="https://www.vibe.com/news/politics/barack-obama-book-ban-letter-to-librarians-1234772845/">Vibe</a>, Obama penned a newsletter and began with “In any democracy, the free exchange of ideas is an important part of making sure that citizens are informed, engaged and feel like their perspectives matter,”. “More often than not, someone decides to write those ideas down in a book,” the 61-year-old stated. This soon led to Obama delving into how much books have impacted his life and even praising some of his favorite authors, such as Toni Morrison, James Baldwin, and Mark Twain. Furthermore, he mentioned how "people who disagree with certain ideas or perspectives" are challenging the banned books.https://twitter.com/BarackObama/status/1680927869021696005Obama noted that a majority of the books under ban are either by people of color, indigenous people, or the LGBTQ+ community.“Either way, the impulse seems to be to silence, rather than engage, rebut, learn from or seek to understand views that don’t fit our own,” he disclosed. Obama later thanked all the country’s librarians for all the work they’re doing to provide educational opportunities, especially right now. “All of us owe you a debt of gratitude for making sure readers across the country have access to a wide range of books, and all the ideas they can contain,” he stated.The former president finished his announcement by beseeching listeners that “free, robust exchange of ideas has always been the head of American democracy.”

Barack Obama Slams U.S Book Ban, Thanks Librarians For Their Work

GettyImages-498724312

Sasha is all grown up!Sasha Obama, the youngest daughter of Barack and Michelle Obama graduated from the University of Southern California on Friday, May 12.She walked proudly across the stage as <a href="https://www.wbls.com/wbls-news/barack-obama-reminded-that-hes-still-fine-by-rally-goer-michelle-agrees">dad</a>, <a href="https://www.wbls.com/wbls-news/michelle-obama-makes-back-up-singer-debut-at-bruce-springsteen-concert">mom</a>, and older sister <a href="https://www.wbls.com/wbls-news/malia-obama-to-make-directorial-debut-with-donald-glover">Malia</a> watched joyously. Sasha, 21, received <a href="https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2023-05-12/obama-family-attends-sasha-usc-graduation">universal cheers from the crowd</a> as she made her way across the stage, according to the LA Times. For nearly 10 years, many witnessed Sasha blossom from childhood to young adulthood during her father’s 8-year tenure as the President of the U.S.Sasha started college at the University of Michigan and later transferred to USC, where she majored in sociology.https://www.instagram.com/p/CsKa0xUNz0t/The 44th president wore black shades and a light grey suit as he sweetly held hands with his wife. Keeping it classy and stylish, Mrs.Obama wore a sleeveless, black trench dress that was tied at the waist and featured a navy ruffled tulle skirt. Older sister, Malia, wore long braids, a pink off-the-shoulder dress with lime green strappy sandals. The Obamas' security followed close behind them as they walked on the USC track with the rest of the graduates' families and friends. https://www.instagram.com/p/CsMj7Y1ukd5/Mom, Michelle, beamed with joy watching her youngest cub start the beginning of her own legacy. The graduation ceremony came two days before Mother's Day. The former first lady shared a post on Twitter expressing her joy of being a mother to Sasha and Malia.https://twitter.com/MichelleObama/status/1657740166448963587During and after the ceremony, images of Sasha hit the internet where she was seen wearing her cap and gown as well as a lei of flowers. <a href="https://www.flowerleis.com/occasion/graduation-leis/">Graduation leis</a>, popular in Hawaii, are given to a graduate to show love and honor. For Sasha, the lei may have been worn to pay homage to her paternal ancestry. Congrats to Sasha Obama!

Sasha Obama Graduates From USC In Front Of Proud Parents

Michelle-Obama-Bruce

New Jersey musician Bruce Springsteen and his band, The E Street Band potentially have a new back-up singer.While on the Barcelona, Spain stop of their tour (April 30), the former first lady, <a href="https://www.wbls.com/wbls-news/michelle-obama-tells-the-story-of-how-barack-proposed-to-her-video-photos">Michelle Obama</a> joined them onstage. With tambourine in hand, Obama song along with Springsteen and his band during their performance of "Glory Days."https://twitter.com/WUTangKids/status/1652121424562192384?s=20Additional crowd-recorded footage shows the "Becoming" author and attorney dancing with her husband, former President Obama, in the audience.https://twitter.com/RexChapman/status/1652419543736754179?s=20According to <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/apr/28/dream-dinner-party-guests-obama-springsteen-and-spielberg-delight-barcelona-restaurant-staff">The Guardian</a>, the Obamas have maintained a close personal and professional relationship with Springsteen since the musician endorsed Barack Obama for president in 2008 and again in 2012. The pair also co-hosted the 2021 podcast series “<a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/42xagXCUDsFO6a0lcHoTlv">Renegades: Born in the USA</a>”, in which they discussed their friendship, their families, music, and issues facing America. The podcast acts as an audio adaptation of their book, <a href="https://renegadesbook.com/">Renegades</a>.“Over the years, what we’ve found is that we’ve got a shared sensibility. About work, about family, and about America,” Obama wrote in an excerpt from the beginning of the book.Barack Obama also awarded the <a href="https://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-obama-medal-freedom-20161121-story.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Presidential Medal of Freedom</a> to Springsteen in 2016.

Michelle Obama Makes Back-Up Singer Debut at Bruce Springsteen Concert

GettyImages-498727140

The former First Daughter will make her directorial debut with a short film produced by Donald Glover's company, Gilga, he told <a href="https://www.gq.com/story/donald-glover-global-creativity-awards-cover-2023" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">GQ</a> in an interview published April 4.As Gilga is brand new production company, Obama will have the honor to work on it's first short film. Glover elaborated about Obama's involvement. “The first thing we did was talk about the fact that she will only get to do this once. 'You’re Obama’s daughter.' So if you make a bad film, it will follow you around.”Obama is no stranger to production. The then 22-year old landed a writing role on the Glover-produced Amazon series, <a href="https://www.eonline.com/news/1239397/malia-obama-joins-writing-staff-of-donald-glovers-amazon-project">Swarm.</a> Prior to that, she landed an internship with The Weinstein Company in 2017. And prior to that, Obama interned on HBO's comedy Girls and worked as a production assistant on CBS' Extant.Glover mentioned that Obama will not have it easy because of her status as the former president's daughter."We can't be easy on her just because she's the [former] President's daughter," Donald told <a href="https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2022/03/donald-glover-malia-obama-atlanta-season-3-premiere?utm_social-type=owned&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter&mbid=social_twitter&utm_brand=vf">Vanity Fair</a> last year. "Nah, she's very down to earth, and cool. So, it's not a problem at all."Her talent has already shined through, as seen in Swarm's episode five "Girl, Bye," which she co-wrote with Janine. And there's still plenty of more to come."I feel like she's just somebody who's gonna have really good things coming soon," Donald told <a href="https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2022/03/donald-glover-malia-obama-atlanta-season-3-premiere?utm_social-type=owned&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter&mbid=social_twitter&utm_brand=vf">Vanity Fair</a>. "Her writing style is great."

Malia Obama To Make Directorial Debut With Donald Glover

This is truly disturbing and hateful. A noose was reportedly found at the site of the Obama Presidential Center in Chicago which has put the construction on hold. Lakeside Alliance, the group in charge of the construction said that the noose was “an act of hate that was discovered at the project site.” Mayor Lori Lightfoot also commented on the horrible discovery. “Racism and racist symbols have no place in Chicago.” Governor J.B. Pritzker said that he will ensure that Illinois “will make all needed resources available to help catch the perpetrators.” The Obama Foundation said, "the incident is shameless and an act of cowardice and hate designed to get attention and divide us.” The Obama center is slated to open in three years and is set to have an activity center, a plaza, a library, a forum, and a museum. Lakeside Alliance is offering a $100,000 reward to help find the people responsible for the hate crime.

Noose Found At The Barack Obama Presidential Center

<a href="https://www.wbls.com/news/entertainment/barack-obama-reveals-how-jay-zs-my-1st-song-inspired-him-while-running-for-president/">Barack Obama</a> was reminded to embrace his new look and his age by a rally-goer after he shared some concerns about it. While speaking at a rally in Detroit, Obama said “I have to admit that sometimes going out on the campaign trail feels a little harder than it used to, not just because I’m getting older and grayer.” A female attendee at the rally quickly reminded him that his black doesn’t crack. “You fine than a motherf****r,” she said. The former President went on to say, “I don’t know if y’all heard that. I’m sorry, what did you say? She said I was still fine.” He also said jokingly, “I’m not gonna tell Michelle you said that, although Michelle does agree.” See the clip below. https://twitter.com/pettylupone/status/1586430559001010176?s=46&t=6sYiWHSm-J7lFjs2H-bP2wIt was <a href="https://blavity.com/woman-at-rally-reminds-obama-that-hes-fine-than-a-motherfker?category1=news">reported</a> that Obama gave a speech at the Detriot Renaissance High School to show support for Democratic candidates where he has been focusing on abortion laws and voting rights. “The most personal of health choices should be between a woman and her doctor, not politicians. Here in Michigan, this isn’t even theoretical, abortion rights are literally on the ballot,” he said.

Barack Obama Reminded That He's Still Fine By Rally-Goer: 'Michelle Agrees'

Prayers up for former President Barack Obama. He has revealed that he has tested positive for COVID-19. He wrote on his Twitter account, “I just tested positive for COVID. I've had a scratchy throat for a couple of days, but am feeling fine otherwise.” Obama went on to say, “Michelle and I are grateful to be vaccinated and boosted, and she has tested negative. It’s a reminder to get vaccinated if you haven’t already, even as cases go down.” It was reported that Barack Obama had tested positive for the virus when he returned to DC from his winter vacation in Hawaii. Obama is the second known President to have contracted COVID with Donald Trump being the first back in October 2020. We hope for a healthy and speedy recovery for the former President.

Barack Obama Reveals He Has Tested Positive For COVID-19

A biopic about Bob Marley is set to begin production with actor Kingsley Ben-Adir landing the role to portray the music legend.According to reports, Ben-Adir won the role after a long audition process. The film will be directed by Reinaldo Marcus Green, the director of King Richard, and produced by Marley’s children and wife, Ziggy, Cedella, and Rita Marley. For Ben-Adir, he is no stranger to portraying iconic figures in film. He played Malcolm X in “One Night In Miami” and President Barack Obama in Showtime’s “The Comey Rule.” During his career, Marley has sold 25 million copies around the world. His album Legend would become the best-selling reggae album of all time. Do you think that Kingsley Ben-Adir will do a phenomenal job at portraying Bob Marley?

Actor Kingsley Ben-Adir To Play Bob Marley In New Biopic

"I can't believe [a black man being elected president'] would happen in my lifetime. "Grammy winning musician, singer, songwriter and record producer PJ Morton sits down with WBLS to discuss his experiences living in a time of history. He discusses the rival of New Orleans, the impact of Barack Obama as the nation's first Black president, the music business today, the opportunity for Black creators and more.Black History Month 360 Highlights the contributions of our WBLS talent & personalities with this exclusive series: I Lived It - where influencers speak about that moment of history they lived and experienced.<h3 style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://wbls.com/bhm360">For More Black History!</a></h3>Watch below:https://youtu.be/GVI4AQIepfc

PJ Morton On Today's Opportunity For Black Creatives

Congratulations to Samuel L. Jackson. The legendary actor has been named as the recipient of the Chairman’s award at this year’s NAACP Image Awards. Jackson will receive this award for his demonstration in public service and using his platform to create new ways of change. Other people who have received this award include Danny Glover, Tyler Perry, Barack Obama, Congresswoman Maxine Waters, former Surgeon General Regina Benjamin, the late Congressman John Lewis, and Ruby Dee. Leon W. Russell, NAACP National Board of Directors spoke on Jackson being this year’s recipient. “Samuel L. Jackson is an incredibly talented actor with a remarkable career in film and theater spanning over four decades.” He continued, “Many might not know that prior to his acting career, Jackson was a staunch activist during the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s, even serving as an usher at Martin Luther King Jr.’s funeral. His continued public service and advocacy for social change make him an excellent recipient for the Chairman’s Award.” Throughout his career, Jackson has appeared in over 100 films and is considered one of the most respected actors of all time. Congratulations again to Samuel L. Jackson.

Samuel L. Jackson To Receive The Chairman's Award At The NAACP Awards

<h1>First Black Secretary of State - Colin Powell dies at 84 of COVID complications.</h1>The family of former Secretary of State Colin Powell announced on Facebook today that "General Colin L. Powell, former U.S. Secretary of State and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, passed away this morning due to complications from COVID 19.” Powell was fully vaccinated. Powell was a military man, serving from 1958 to 1993 achieving the rank of General in the US Army and eventually becoming the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.Colin Powell was a Bronx-native, raised by Jamaican-immigrant parents, and he graduated from NYC public schools. In 2001, as a Republican under President George Bush - Powell was the first African-American Secretary of State and the highest-ranking African American in the history of the federal government at the time.Powell was an instrumental part of both the Bush and Reagan administrations, but towards the end of his life he became less interested in the Republican party. General Powell endorsed Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, and Joe Biden in his old age. He told CNN's Fareed Zakaria "I can no longer call myself a fellow Republican. I'm not a fellow of anything right now." Colin Powell was a model Army-man with strong political intuition. Although his record was spotted from decades within the National Security System, Powell was widely admired by his peers in government, both Republican and Democrat. As Secretary of State Powell was instrumental in the continuation of the Iraq War and would go on to express regret towards his missteps in the Middle East.

First Black Secretary of State, Colin Powell Dies of COVID Complications at 84

Dr. Yusef Salaam continues to keep his best foot forward. The author and activist have announced that he will be running for Harlem State Senate and is looking forward to filling the vacated seat of current Harlem State Senator, Brian Benjamin. Salaam is best known for being a part of the exonerated five, where he along with Antron McCray, Raymond Santana, Korey Wise, and Kevin Richardson were all wrongfully convicted of raping and assaulting a white woman in Central Park in 1990. The five men’s story would become a topic of discussion after Ava DuVernay’s “When They See Us” aired on Netflix in 2019. All of the boys would go on to serve jail time before having their convictions overturned when Matias Reyes would confess to committing the crime. Salaam served seven years in prison before becoming fully exonerated in 2002. Yusef Salaam would go on to be a motivational speaker and a recipient of the 2016 Lifetime Achievement Award presented by President Barack Obama. Salaam’s campaign will include attention to police brutality, ending solitary confinement in juvenile prisons, and criminal justice and prison reform. What are your thoughts on this?

Yusef Salaam Of The Exonerated Five To Run For Harlem State Senate

Andrè Leon is getting a few things off his chest regarding Barack Obama’s recent 60th birthday party.The journalist wrote an article in the New York Times <a href="https://thejasminebrand.com/2021/08/16/barack-obama-criticized-over-his-60th-birthday-party-by-andre-leon-talley-they-need-to-remember-their-humble-roots/">criticizing</a> the former president. Andrè said, “I think the nouveaux riches Obamas are seriously tone-deaf. We all love Beyoncé. But people have so many things to worry about with COVID, voting rights, climate warming. People are afraid of being evicted from their homes. And the Obamas are in <a href="https://www.wbls.com/news/entertainment/barack-obama-is-calling-for-a-full-investigation-into-daunte-wrights-shooting/">Marie Antoinette</a>, tacky, let-them-eat-cake mode. They need to remember their humble roots.”On August 7, Barack had a private 60th birthday bash at Martha’s Vineyard in Massachusetts. The Jasmine Brand points out, a-list celebs like Beyoncè, Jay-Z, John Legend, <a class="editor-rtfLink" href="https://thejasminebrand.com/2021/07/21/chrissy-teigen-believes-she-could-be-in-cancel-club-forever-says-shes-minding-her-own-business-from-now-on/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Chrissy Teigen</a>, Dwayne Wade, Gabrielle Union, Questlove, Erykah Badu, Alicia Keys, George Clooney, Steven Spielberg, and more were reportedly there.<a href="https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.foxnews.com/politics/critics-slam-obama-birthday-virus-cases-marthas-vineyard.amp">Fox News</a> mentions social media started using the hashtag #superspreader and #ObamaVariant after 74 people tested positive for COVID after Obama’s party. Obama did reduce the number of attendees to attempt to slow the spread. He hasn’t publicly addressed Andrè’s claims as of yet. https://twitter.com/ACTforAmerica/status/1426653919875305480?s=20What are your thoughts? Let us know!

André Leon Bashed Barack Obama’s 60th Birthday Party For Having It During The Pandemic, Called Him ‘Tacky’

This is exciting! As reported on Madame Noire, five <a href="https://blockclubchicago.org/2021/07/02/after-obama-portraits-tour-south-side-groups-launch-grants-book-pop-up-for-new-artists-and-young-readers/">major museums</a> will display Black artists Kehinde Wiley’s and Amy Sherald’s paintings of the Obamas. Wiley painted Barack Obama and, Sherald made one of the former First Lady. The first stop is the Art Institute of Chicago, and the artwork will be displayed until August 15. Then the next stop is museums in Brooklyn, Los Angeles, Atlanta, and Houston until May 2022. Take a look at the breakdown of the dates/locations reported on MN:<ul> <li><a class="editor-rtfLink" href="https://www.artic.edu/exhibitions/9507/the-obama-portraits" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Art Institute of Chicago</a>; Chicago—June 18, 2021–August 15, 2021</li> <li><a class="editor-rtfLink" href="https://www.brooklynmuseum.org/exhibitions/obama_portraits" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Brooklyn Museum</a>; Brooklyn, New York—August 27, 2021–October 24, 2021</li> <li><a class="editor-rtfLink" href="https://www.lacma.org/art/exhibition/obama-portraits-tour" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Los Angeles County Museum of Art</a>; Los Angeles—November 7, 2021–January 2, 2022</li> <li><a class="editor-rtfLink" href="https://high.org/exhibition/the-obama-portraits-tour" target="_blank" rel="noopener">High Museum of Art</a>; Atlanta—January 14, 2022–March 13, 2022</li> <li><a class="editor-rtfLink" href="https://www.mfah.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston</a>; Houston—March 27, 2022–May 30, 2022</li></ul>The article notes along with the portraits, there will also be educational workshops, audio-visual elements, and curated presentations. https://www.instagram.com/p/BfHLAtsHjPP/?utm_medium=copy_linkhttps://www.instagram.com/p/CPBn7NwMNDi/?utm_medium=copy_link<a href="https://www.timeout.com/newyork/news/the-obama-portraits-are-coming-to-nyc-next-month-072921">Time Out</a> points out, Wiley and Sherald were “respectively commissioned to paint Barack and Michelle Obama.” Will you be taking a trip to see the beautiful art pieces?<a href="https://madamenoire.com/1234152/obama-portraits-tour/">Via</a>