A Promised Land

Hope is central to Obama’s personal and professional outlook. Hope for a better future pushed Obama to persevere during difficult campaigns for the Illinois State Senate, the US Senate, and the presidency. The presidential campaign in particular hinged on hope. Obama used the slogans “Yes We Can” and “Change We Can Believe In” throughout his campaign. Indeed, the street artist Shepard Fairey’s poster featuring the word Hope and a likeness of Obama in striking shades of blue and red came to represent his 2008 run. Obama explains that community and future generations fuel his hope:

If we won, it would mean that I wasn’t alone in believing that the world didn’t have to be a cold, unforgiving place, where the strong preyed on the weak and we inevitably fell back into clans and tribes, lashing out against the unknown and huddling against the darkness. If these beliefs were made manifest, then my own life made sense, and I could then pass on that promise, that version of the world, to my children (78).

Obama remains hopeful for the future of the country, despite recent attacks on American democracy. False accusations of voter fraud driven by Trump, the rightwing media, and conspiracy theorist led to violent protests after the 2020 presidential election.