The People's House - Obama Presidency Oral History

“The White House is the people’s house,” Barack Obama told the country in a virtual tour of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue during his final week as president of the United States, “Michelle and I always joke: we’re just renters here, and the owners are the American people.” Interviews in the Obama Presidency Oral History project shed light on Mr. and Mrs. Obama’s efforts to open the White House to the American people, and forge direct connections with Americans from all walks of life. 

In their oral history interviews, narrators share stories of visits to the White House and encounters with Barack and Michelle Obama. They discuss the letters people from across the United States and around the world wrote to Obama, and the administration’s approach to processing and responding to the enormous volume of letters they received; the structure and activities of the Office of Public Engagement; mentorship programs that brought young people from Washington, DC inside the White House; notable musical and artistic performances; White House summits and convenings; and efforts to ensure that historically-marginalized people and communities were included in White House events.

The administration’s effort to connect with people from all walks of life was not limited to the United States, or to domestic policy. On their foreign trips, Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton moved beyond formal government-to-government diplomacy, and held events with citizens and local community groups. The administration also launched programs including the Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI) and Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative (YSEALI) to support young people in key countries and regions.

These events, themes, and initiatives are brought to life by letter writers, White House staff and officials, artists and intellectuals, advocates and grassroots activists, and veterans of the US armed forces. Hear from letter writers Rebekah Erler, Alex Myteberi, and Ileana Yarza; Native rights activist Kendrick Eagle; White House social secretaries Deesha Dyer and Jeremy Bernard; director of presidential correspondence Fiona Reeves; White House usher Angella Reid; YALI and YSEALI participants Fatou Ba Ndiour and Carrie Tan Huimin; and many more.

The Obama Presidency Oral History’s coverage of contacts and connections between the Obama presidency and the American public overlaps and intersects with a number of other topic areas in the collection, including the East Wing, Arts and Humanities, and Black Politics.