Adren O. Wilson, PhD

Vice President, Youth Opportunity Programs and Executive Director, My Brother’s Keeper Alliance at the Obama Foundation

[Adren O. Wilson, PhD @AdrenWilson]

Praying for all of us that are broken or have experienced brokenness - all that have experienced life have experienced, in some small or large way, brokenness. #Grateful for all of the broken parts and those that help me put them back together - stronger and more resilient 🙏🏽

[Spelman College @SpelmanCollege]

Today, Spelman College proudly announces Dr. Ayanna Howard as its 12th President. This historic transition marks the next chapter in Spelman's legacy of excellence, empowering future generations of Black women to lead, innovate, and shape a rapidly changing world. A pioneering roboticist and higher education leader, Dr. Howard brings a bold vision for Spelman's future while honoring the mission and values that have defined the College for more than 140 years. Read more: https://t.co/HgosnulQHX

[The Associated Press @AP]

The Obama Presidential Center opens to the general public on Juneteenth after a celebratory dedication in Chicago with dignitaries. The roughly $850 million project covers both the political and personal realms of the nation’s first Black president.

[Celine Dion @celinedion]

I’m heartbroken to hear that we lost Peabo Bryson today.  His incredible voice and his kind spirit embodied the beauty of song and performance.  He was so wonderful and generous to me all those years ago, when we recorded Beauty and the Beast. He made me so comfortable, as I was just learning to sing in English.  He will remain for me always as a real symbol of the joy that music has brought to my life. His voice and his talent will be missed…

My heart is with your family, and may you rest in peace, Peabo.

Love,

Celine xx…

[JOEL CRAWFORD @jcraw_02]

last week i graduated summa cum laude (top 5%) from HARVARD. 🙏🏽still feels surreal but a testimony to countless prayers and God’s guidance every step of the way. #AMDG

how it started how it’s going

[Gavin Roland, MD @gavinroland13]

Becoming the visual I needed growing up. #blackdocs

[Brian Allen @allenanalysis]

🚨 DAMN.

Ruby Bridges said the moment she finally understood what was happening during school integration was when a little white boy told her:

“My mom said I can’t play with you because you’re a nigger.”

She was SIX.

And she said hearing that felt like “a huge weight lifted,” because suddenly everything made sense.

Why the classrooms were empty.
Why adults were screaming.
Why U.S. Marshals had to escort her to school.
Not because of anything she did.

Just because of the color of her skin.

A six-year-old child realizing an entire country was angry at her for existing.

[The Obama Foundation @ObamaFoundation]

A place to learn, a place to play, and a place to belong.

President Obama and CEO of the Obama Foundation Valerie Jarrett recently marveled at our whimsical playground — full of oversized animal structures and world class play equipment — and reflected on how our on-site branch of the Chicago Public Library will appeal to kids of every age.

This is a place where every family is welcome, every child is safe, and every person is respected — a place for everyone.

[The Obama Foundation @ObamaFoundation]

🎉Starting June 19, The Obama Presidential Center is your home for fun, inspiration and activities of all kinds this Summer and on into the year!

🇺🇲To honor the 250th anniversary of the founding of America, and to inspire visitors to shape our shared future, we are hosting “You Are America,” a series of talks, performances, films, and community events.

🎇The series will kick off with a free Independence Day celebration on July 4 called “The People’s Fourth,” featuring live music, self-guided tours, and family-friendly activities across the campus.

🫜Get closer to nature, and your neighbors, Summer Garden Gatherings in the Eleanor Roosevelt Fruit and Vegetable Garden will run every other week from July 12 to Sept. 20, in partnership with Urban Growers Collective.

🎂Celebrate President Obama’s birthday with an all-ages karaoke DJ set Aug. 4! Get ready to sing along to classics from soul, R&B, and contemporary hits.

📖To create a little quiet and connection, we’re partnering with the Chicago Public Library to host storytime inside our new library branch.

🏐And local youth can discover their potential at the Teen Action Lab, in partnership with After School Matters, with hands-on sports, leadership, and wellness programs.

👟Meanwhile, older adults can hit their stride on campus through At Your Pace, a walk-run club led by Peace Runners 773.

We can’t wait for you to join us for these, and so many more things to do! We’re just getting started!

Check out the full event calendar: https://t.co/a50FLDpGF5

[Adren O. Wilson, PhD @AdrenWilson]

GRACE >

[The Obama Foundation @ObamaFoundation]

We cannot wait to welcome you to campus! Today, we’re announcing the first slate of programming at the Obama Presidential Center, including free, public activities during our Grand Opening Weekend, June 19-21.

As part of the Foundation’s mission to inspire, empower, and connect people to change their world, and reflecting the Obamas’ legacy from their time in the White House, programming at the Center will offer experiences connected to arts and culture, civics and democracy, gardening and food, and sports and well-being.

Grand Opening Weekend activities will include:

💃Live entertainment, including DJs, musical groups, and dance performances on the Plaza;
🎨Family-friendly activities throughout the campus, such as face painting, art making, and photo booths;
🎭Performances and programs featuring Obama Presidential Center commissioned artists;
🍔A variety of food available for purchase in our restaurant, cafe, and pop-up stations across campus;
📚Storytime and hands-on activities at the Center’s Chicago Public Library branch;
🏀Sports and play stations at the Home Court athletic center led by Chicago’s professional sports teams and their mascots, including the Chicago Bears, Chicago Blackhawks, Chicago Bulls, Chicago Cubs, Chicago Fire FC, Chicago Sky, Chicago Stars FC, Chicago White Sox
🧶Double Dutch performances and hands-on crochet jump rope making in Home Court;
🫛Drop-in experiences in the Fruit & Vegetable Garden celebrating community, wellness, and creativity in partnership with Urban Growers Collective;
🙋Guided and self-guided audio tours of campus.

Let us know we’ll see you on campus for Grand Opening Weekend: https://t.co/kFLCEPS58h

These and all Grand Opening week activities are made possible through the generous support of GCM Grosvenor, Abbott, BMO, ITW and Northern Trust.

[The Obama Foundation @ObamaFoundation]

We are only 23 days away from the Obama Presidential Center's Grand Opening Celebration, and here in Chicago, that number makes us think of only one person: Michael Jordan.

President Obama invoked Jordan's greatness often, but most notably when talking about resilience in 2009 in a national address to America's schoolchildren given at Wakefield High School in Arlington, VA: "Michael Jordan was cut from his high school basketball team. He lost hundreds of games and missed thousands of shots. But he once said, 'I have failed over and over and over again in my life. And that's why I succeed.'"

Jordan is part of how so many Americans define greatness. As a global icon whose athletic career, philanthropy, and business vision broke barriers around the world, Jordan's impact is honored in one of our Exhibition Galleries, Toward A More Perfect Union, located on Museum Level 2. This gallery tells the story of the early influences that shaped President and Mrs. Obama and the grassroots energy of the 2008 campaign.

[John Bel Edwards @JohnBelEdwards]

I think this is what the kids call “living in somebody’s head rent free.” 😎

#lagov #lalege

[The Obama Foundation @ObamaFoundation]

During his presidency, President Obama read 10 letters a day from Americans who’d taken the time to write to him about their worries, hopes, and, often, their requests for help.

These letters were hand-picked from the thousands of emails and handwritten notes that the White House received daily, and were representative of the day’s mail. The President read the 10 letters at night, and later often visited letter writers in their hometowns and spoke about how these messages inspired him and his policies.

As President Obama toured the exhibits with Obama Foundation CEO Valerie Jarrett, he reflected on those letters and how they’re brought to life in the Museum today. The letters are paired with a deeply moving film created by Chicago’s own Manual Cinema, which beautifully illustrates the stories of letter writers as diverse as a worried veteran, a hopeful refugee and a joyful adoptee.

The Obama Presidential Center opens June 19.

[Broderick Johnson @gobluebrod]

Public service in law often starts well before graduation. This year's awardees of the @UMichLaw Pro Bono Service Awards inspire me with their commitment to expanding access to justice: https://t.co/P8Q2AcKAg1

[Barack Obama @BarackObama]

On Memorial Day, we pay tribute to the brave men and women in uniform who gave their lives for this country that we love. It is a debt we can never fully repay, but we must never stop trying. I’ll always be grateful to our fallen heroes and their families, whose sacrifice reminds us of what it means to live for something greater than ourselves.

[Southern University @SouthernU_BR]

The walk across the stage lasts seconds, but the legacy lasts forever. 🩵💛
Congratulations to the Class of 2026! 🎓🐆
For more commencement recap content: https://t.co/qNILfSr37l.
#WeAreSouthern #FinishStronger #HBCU #HBCUgrad

[Dike Clinton Chisom @DikenaClinton]

More on the Morehouse graduation:
The energy inside the auditorium felt bigger than a graduation ceremony — it felt like history being written in real time. 🎓🖤

[Broderick Johnson @gobluebrod]

Some artists shape how a moment is remembered for generations & Pete Souza is one of them. During our time in the Obama White House, what stood out was his ability to capture not just the historic, also the human. Here’s his perspective behind one iconic photo, in his own voice.

[Adren O. Wilson, PhD @AdrenWilson]

GRACE >

[The Obama Foundation @ObamaFoundation]

There is something powerful about watching someone walk through an idea they once could only imagine.

As President Obama toured the exhibits with Valerie Jarrett, one thing became clear: this space was never meant to tell just one story.

The Obama Presidential Center opens June 19.