There are 98 posts tagged White House.gov Blog Feed (this is page 4 of 10).
Yesterday, the First Lady welcomed 140 college-bound students to the White House for the Reach Higher "Beating the Odds" Summit.
These young people represented a wide range of communities — urban, rural, foster, homeless, immigrant, special needs, and more. All of them have overcome great odds to go to college, and many are even first in their family to pursue further education after high school.
This week, the President visited Steel City and The Big Apple, celebrated the anniversary of the ADA and the signing of AGOA, and hosted a newly minted head of state — all while a U.S. delegation led by Dr. Biden traveled through Asia.
Today, President Obama visits Kenya — the 50th country he has visited during his Administration. It’s also my 50th country traveling with the President.
To mark the occasion, as I did when the President visited his 50th state, I chose one photograph from each country that we’ve visited.
Traveling abroad with the President is very different.
Often times, I am at the mercy of the host country for access. Some countries are more accommodating to me than others. I am lucky to have counterpart official photographers in many countries who are extremely helpful to me in this regard. I of course try to return the help to them when they visit the White House with their head of state.
We’re also rarely in any one country for more than a couple of days, which gives us only a partial glimpse of each place. And because of security, the sites we are able to visit are often limited too.
All that said, we’ve had the incredible opportunity to visit the Pyramids in Egypt, Stonehenge in the United Kingdom, the Great Wall in China, Petra in Jordan, and the Shwedagon Pagoda in Myanmar (Burma). (So I really shouldn’t complain too much.)
I hope you enjoy this gallery. And stay tuned — we’ll be adding a photograph from Kenya and additionally, Ethiopia, following his visit next week.
Boarding Air Force One at Bagram Air Field, Afghanistan, May 1, 2012. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
Boarding Air Force One at Bagram Air Field, Afghanistan, May 1, 2012. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
Ed. note: This is cross-posted on the U.S. Small Business Administration's blog. See the original post here.
This week, I will join President Obama in Nairobi, Kenya, for the sixth-annual Global Entrepreneurship Summit. GES 2015 will shine a spotlight on the extraordinary potential of entrepreneurs in sub-Saharan Africa and beyond.
Five of the world’s 10-fastest growing economies are African. Innovation hubs have sprung up in Nairobi, Cape Town, and Lagos. A new generation of upstart entrepreneurs has formed tightly knit communities committed to creating African-based solutions to the region’s challenges.
Today, Nairobi is the site of major African headquarters for Google, Microsoft and IBM and has earned itself the nickname “Silicone Savannah” for the innovative ecosystem that has taken root. But the region still faces obstacles. Limited banking options make it difficult for entrepreneurs to access affordable capital. Societal barriers make it difficult for young and female entrepreneurs to access investors.
Earlier this week, I watched the live-stream of the White House’s celebration of the 25th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Live-streaming is a form of access that allows individuals to experience events, even if they are many miles away from D.C.
Listening to the President’s remarks and hearing him recognize the members of Congress, advocates, and young leaders — I wondered what diverse stories they had to tell about how the ADA impacted their lives.
Yesterday, President Obama traveled to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to speak at the 116th Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) convention.
This afternoon, Denice W. Ross, a Presidential Innovation Fellow, sent the following message to the White House email list. She introduces readers to Demond Fortenberry, a 14-year-old resident of New Orleans who participated in a local coding event last week, where the City of New Orleans previewed four data sets related to policing.
Keep reading to learn more about the event — and if you didn't get the email, sign up for email updates here.
Last week, at a coding event in New Orleans, 14-year-old Demond Fortenberry blew me away with his data-savvy and curiosity.
At the event, hosted by local nonprofit Operation Spark, the City of New Orleans previewed four policing-related data sets. As the password for viewing the data came up on the screen, I reflexively cracked open my laptop to dive in — but fortunately, I had the good sense to close it back up. This time, I wanted to experience the unveiling of a new data set from the perspective of a young coder.
And I'm glad I did.
I was a little nervous at first about whether this never-before-seen data would catch the attention of Demond and the other young coders. But watching Demond work with the data — and build a collaborative working relationship with city leadership in the process — removed any of those fears.
From incident locations to readouts on the demographics, he recognized what was happening in his community, and he started to ask questions.
Read the full story here, and pass it on — and then find out how you can get involved.
Demond Fortenberry and City of New Orleans CIO Lamar Gardere review police data together with other hackathon participants.
Yesterday, Ben Rhodes, the President's Deputy National Security Advisor, sent the following message to the White House list, announcing the launch of @TheIranDeal — a Twitter account that is dedicated to delivering the facts and answering your questions about the deal and how it enhances American national security.
If you didn't get the email, make sure to sign up for email updates here.
Hey,
I'm Ben Rhodes, a Deputy National Security Advisor to President Obama. For the past few years, I've been working closely with America's negotiating team, which was tasked with finding a way to achieve a diplomatic resolution that prevents Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.
Last week, after two years of tough negotiations, our team along with our international partners achieved just that.
It's a historic deal. It blocks every possible pathway Iran could use to build a bomb while verifying — through a comprehensive inspections and transparency regime — that Iran's nuclear program remains exclusively peaceful.
The deal is called the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), and it's important that everyone here and around the world understands exactly what's in it and how it'll work.
Logan, an 11-year-old from Hartford, Michigan, asked his dad to film him confronting his bullies — reading a series of mean-spirited comments from his YouTube page. His message was simple:
Senior Advisor Valerie Jarrett noticed — and she extended a very special invitation to Logan and his family.
Hi @DadVsLogan – you are stronger than anyone's hurtful words. We could all learn something from you and your dad! http://t.co/24CbefFDJA
— Valerie Jarrett (@vj44) July 11, 2015
.@DadVsLogan If you're ever in DC, pls stop by the @WhiteHouse and say hi. Logan may be a future occupant one day 🙂 https://t.co/38wvYDB84C
— Valerie Jarrett (@vj44) July 11, 2015
We learn history. We appreciate history. We desire to make history. #LoganTakesDC http://pic.twitter.com/gORQavUKDg
— Dad vs. Logan (@DadVsLogan) July 21, 2015
Almost time. Follow along on our Twitter and the @WhiteHouse @vj44 and @POTUS accounts. http://pic.twitter.com/9M7Fnb5HJ6
— Dad vs. Logan (@DadVsLogan) July 21, 2015
Can't wait to meet you! https://t.co/oHqo2UeWH7
— Valerie Jarrett (@vj44) July 21, 2015
Yesterday, President Obama celebrated the 25th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) at the White House.
In the East Room, President Obama honored those who made the ADA the law of the land – the activists, congressional representatives, and stakeholders who worked tirelessly to ensure that millions of Americans with disabilities had the chance to make their contributions to the world.
— President Obama
An interpreter signs in the foreground while President Barack Obama, with Vice President Joe Biden, delivers remarks during a reception for the 25th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in the East Room of the White House, July 20, 2015.
(Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
President Obama outlined the commitments that the government has made to be more responsive to people with disabilities since the passage of the ADA — and reiterated his own commitment to continuing the legacy set in place by President George H.W. Bush when the ADA was signed in 1990.
The Obama administration created the first office within FEMA dedicated to disabilities – so that if and when a disaster strikes we are prepared to help everyone – and created the first special advisor for international disabilities at the State Department. The Administration has also worked to make sure that federal contractors have plans in place for hiring people with disabilities, and has encouraged all others to do the same.
The President lauded the contributions of the ADA, and highlighted that more people with disabilities are in the workforce today than at any point in the last 30 years because of this legislation. He also explained how the ADA was personal to him – his father-in-law, Fraser Robinson, was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in his early 30s, before the passage of the ADA, and could have benefited from its provisions.
“And just through the power of his example, he opened a lot of people’s eyes, including mine, to some of the obstacles that folks with disabilities faced and how important it is that the rest of us do our part to remove those obstacles,” the President said.
Read the President’s full remarks from yesterday's ADA reception here.
See more on what the Obama administration has done to help people with disabilities here.