A black and white obama.org logo Hi Charles, 15 years ago, our campaign won the Iowa caucuses. It was a moment few would have predicted when I announced my candidacy nearly 11 months earlier, and one that ultimately made it possible for me to be elected president. When I look back on that year, what I remember most is the people on the ground – the young people and sometimes not so young volunteers who spread out across Iowa’s 99 counties to organize so many communities for our campaign. They inspired me. President Obama stands to the left of a table displayed with various prints, stickers, photos and a red t-shirt with the Obama logo that reads “I’M FIRED UP”. President Obama smiles wide looking off to the left, holding a to-go cup and wearing a dark suit and a light gray button-up. And in moments when I would make mistakes on the campaign trail, or people counted us out, seeing them work made me a better candidate. Recently, I sat down with six of those former Iowa organizers to reflect on the experience and take a first look at some of the artifacts from Iowa that will be part of our museum collection. Each of these people has found new ways to serve—in the military, in non-profits, in government, and higher education—and they embody so much of what I hoped for when I decided to run for president. Not just that we could win an election, but that the people who became active in their democracy through our campaign would go on to continue finding ways to make a difference in their communities. Today, there are young people just as motivated to have an impact as so many were 15 years ago. As we see rising threats to democracy around the world, it’s even more important that we find ways to help connect them with something larger than themselves. It’s why connecting, inspiring, and empowering the next generation is core to our work at the Obama Foundation and the Obama Presidential Center. I hope you’ll take a minute to watch the conversation. January 3, 2008 remains my favorite night of my political career, because seeing so many people coming out to participate in their democracy for the first time, it felt like watching what I believed about this country made manifest. It was an example of what can be achieved when ordinary people decide to speak up, band together and work for change in the face of long odds. It’s also an important part of the story we’ll tell at the Obama Presidential Center. When we open our doors, visitors will have the chance to be inspired by those who came before, and find new ways to make history of their own. –Barack Donate to empower rising leaders bringing hope to their communities. DONATE Follow us on Twitter.com Follow us on Facebook.com Follow us on Instagram.com ⓒ 2023 Obama Foundation Contact Us | Privacy Policy | Subscriber Preferences | Unsubscribe You received this email at cb31450@gmail.com because you subscribed to updates from the Obama Foundation. The Barack Obama Foundation | 5235 S. Harper Ct, Suite 1140, Chicago, IL, USA 60615