Obama Presidency Oral History

Incite at Columbia University
The Obama Presidency as told by 450+ officials, activists, organizers, and extraordinary people from all walks of life.

  • Katie Johnson

    Personal Presidential Secretary

  • Melanie Bahnke

    Alaska Native and Arctic Issues Advocate

  • Cornell Belcher

    Political Pollster and Strategist

  • Kathleen Merrigan

    Deputy Secretary of Agriculture

  • Henry Paulson

    Secretary of the Treasury

  • Akram Dweikat

    Engineer and Social Entrepreneur

  • Louvon Harris

    Hate Crimes Legislation

  • Richard Verma

    Ambassador

  • Michelle Miller

    Labor Leader

  • Al Sharpton

    Civil Rights Activist

  • Broderick Johnson

    Cabinet Secretary

  • Dick Durbin

    US Senator from Illinois

  • Mona Hanna-Attisha

    Pediatrician and Public Health Advocate

  • Richard Nephew

    Foreign Policy Official

  • Joe Del Bosque

    Farmer

  • Denis McDonough

    White House Chief of Staff

  • Andrew Stern

    Labor Leader

  • Daniel Shomon

    Campaign Strategist and Political Aide

  • Sophia Ford-Glanton

    Urologist

  • Arne Duncan

    Secretary of Education

Katie Johnson
Personal Presidential Secretary
461

Interviews

Explore oral histories in the collection.

Explore all interviews

Between 2019 and 2023 Incite at Columbia University interviewed hundreds of people to produce the official oral history of the Obama presidency. These in-depth interviews, conducted with those inside and outside of the administration, represent roughly 1,100 hours of audio and video that together form a comprehensive record of the Obama years.

Learn more

Stories

Each oral history interview contains dozens of stories. Explore these stories through prepared playlists—or save stories to make your own.

  • go to the interview
    Reflections on President Obama's election night and the transition period Samantha Power
    12:41
  • go to the interview
    Observations on the rise of the Tea Party and political shifts in Arizona Jeff Flake
    03:33
  • go to the interview
    Perspective on balancing US foreign policy between Asia-Pacific and global interests Chuck Hagel
    03:54
  • go to the interview
    Major initiatives and criteria for selecting projects in the chief data scientist role DJ Patil
    10:44
  • go to the interview
    Confronting North Korea's missile launches early in the Obama administration Samuel Locklear
    03:29
  • go to the interview
    Observations on increasing polarization and contentious confirmations in Congress Alan Bersin
    02:25
  • go to the interview
    Inspiration from Obama's communication style and writing a letter to the editor Avelino Halagao
    02:27
  • go to the interview
    American University's identity as a changemaker institution during COVID-19 Sylvia Burwell
    01:25
  • go to the interview
    Obama campaign's strategy in addressing Muslim accusations and birthplace claims Farhana Khera
    01:27
  • go to the interview
    Economists' concerns about declaring a per capita recession during an election year Betsey Stevenson
    02:17
Explore all stories

Topics

From healthcare to the financial crisis to nuclear nonproliferation, each topic explored in this collection is brought to life by narrators from both inside and outside the Obama administration.

See more topics

Navigate

Navigate the interconnected events and places that make up this history, narrated by the stories of the people who lived it.



2009-17

Timeline
Map

Discover

Put thousands of stories in conversation with each other using our experimental collection visualizer.

Discover

News& Events

  • read full text: What a New Oral History Reveals About Obama, and the Tradeoffs He Made
    Peter Baker in The New York Times.
    NewsRead more
  • read full text: An Expansive View Into Obama’s Transformative Presidency
    Caroline Harting in Columbia News.
    NewsRead more
  • read full text: The Obama Presidency Inside-Out: A Conversation About Climate
    New York City
    On May 31, 2023, we gathered in New York City to celebrate the completion of the Obama Presidency Oral History project's fieldwork.
    EventRead more
See more news