Meet our new class of Obama Foundation Leaders!

 


Meet the new class of Obama Foundation Leaders! Representing 70 nations and territories, the 205 changemakers in our Africa, Asia-Pacific, Europe, and United States cohorts share a common drive to confront our world’s toughest challenges.

Over the next year, while taking part in the Foundation’s signature Hope to Action curriculum, Leaders will learn from new perspectives and harness their collective power to achieve even more than they ever could on their own.

Take a moment to celebrate our Leaders by learning more about them here!

Welcome 2025 Leaders

As President Obama put it, “Each year, I am struck by the passion, creativity, and determination these young people bring to the table. My hope is that through this program, they’ll build lasting connections, learn from one another, and continue driving the kind of change that shapes a more just, sustainable, and hopeful future.”

Get to know the newest Leaders and stay tuned for more in-depth profiles highlighting their work both during their Leaders program and in the future as they become a part of the Obama Leadership Network


Trending Political Issues.

Tim: committed to repealing the ACA

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                                                                     July 18, 2017     About Tim Services Media Center Legislative Work South Carolina Resources Dear Friends, When I was elected to Congress in 2010, along with a record-breaking Freshman class, the major platform was repealing the ACA and the national debt. The debt continues to grow, and the ACA is not getting any better. The former isn’t helped by the latter. In South Carolina, we’re down to one insurer offering plans on the exchanges. We’re seeing triple digit premium hikes, and deductibles through the roof. Millions are paying for insurance they don’t wa...
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Michelle: When I reflect on the progress we’ve made

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Friend, it is absolutely critical we elect a Democratic Senate --  so today I’m asking you to support Democratic candidates across this country who share our values. When I reflect on the progress we’ve made these past eight years -- bringing healthcare to 20 million people, helping businesses create millions of new jobs, making college affordable for so many young people, and so much more -- I remember who made it all possible. It was grassroots Democrats like you who came together to move our country forward. And over the next five days, I’m counting on you to do it again. Friend, now more than ever before, we need your help to finish what we started in 2008. Will you join me and the DSCC to elect a Democratic Senate? The stakes are far too high, and we simply cannot sit on the sidelines when we’re facing such a clear choice for our children’s future. So please, Friend -- will you pitch in whatever you can to help the DSCC turn the Senate blue? Pitch in $1 IMMEDIATELY >>...
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Millions of transgender people still face discrimination

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    Friend, did you see the news? One of my first actions as a Congresswoman was to display a transgender pride flag outside my office. I did so to show the trans community -- which includes friends and family of mine -- that they are seen, heard, and not erased. Today, we must recommit our efforts toward protecting the rights of transgender Americans. Dangerous misinformation has been amplified by right-wing politicians and media figures, resulting in a disturbing series of state legislative actions across the country that target the healthcare and well-being of trans youth. Last month, I was named a co-chair of the Transgender Equality Task Force, an arm of the Congressional LGTBQ+ Equality Caucus that is advocating for legislative and administrative action to ensure that the trans community is treated with dignity and respect. I look forward to using this role to continue advancing equality -- because now is not a time where we can afford silence from allies. Millions of tr...
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Marjorie: We need all hands on deck

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Dear robert, Your active support, prayers, and financial generosity as a Susan B. Anthony List member have been so critical in the fight to protect innocent unborn children from the predatory abortion industry. Six months in to the Trump Administration,  YOUR  pro-life activism along with all the passionate help we receive from members nationwide is a big reason why we are celebrating: ✔ An  END  to U.S. taxpayer support for abortions overseas ✔ A  cabinet and administration stacked with pro-life champions  who are using their posts to protect babies in the womb ✔  Religious freedom protections  so pro-life business owners are not forced to pay for abortion-inducing drugs ✔  Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch,  who brings us one crucial vote closer to the day  when  Roe v. Wade  is no longer the law of the land Thank you for helping us score crucial early victories that will save countless innocent ch...
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Mark: 5 Shadowy Groups in Arkansas

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Robert, For a while now we’ve warned that the dark money pouring into Arkansas to buy this Senate seat would only get worse – and now it has. Toward the end of May, five shadowy outside groups announced they planned to spend over $3 million on TV in the coming weeks to prop up Tom Cotton. The  Citizens United  ruling opened the floodgates to out-of-state billionaires – you know their names – and they’re wasting no time trying to drown out the voices of Arkansans. They have already spent around $10 million in this race to elect a senator they know will do their bidding instead of listening to Arkansans. We’ve got to send a message that our democracy is not for sale, and that the value of someone’s voice isn’t measured by the number of zeros in their bank account. You can help restore our democracy and the voice of every Arkansan. Click here to tell Congress: overturn  Citizens United  now. Karl Rove and the Koch brothers certainly don’t put Arkans...
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The filibuster: What it is, and why it stinks

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  You’ve heard it before: It’s time we get rid of the filibuster. But you may be wondering, “what is the filibuster, and where did it come from?” Here's what it is, and here's why it stinks: For a vote on a bill to take place in the Senate, a few things have to happen. A bill is brought to the Floor Senators debate the bill Senators end debate Senators vote on the bill, majority wins That’s the way the Founders intended it to go, at least.  Here’s the hitch:  In 1806, Aaron Burr — yes, the one who killed Alexander Hamilton in a duel — said the Senate had too many rules and should get rid of some. One rule that got tossed in the trash can? The rule that said any senator could propose a vote that would cut off debate. Senators didn’t see a need to keep this rule on the book, so they tossed it. That means step #2 (Senator’s debate the bill) could, in theory, go on forever — if enough Senators were willing to speak long enough on the floor in debate. For years, business gener...
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Sarah: My mother in a ISIS controlled Saudi Prison.

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National Black –  I am writing urgently to ask for your help to save my mother, Souad Al-Shammary, who was thrown in Saudi Arabian prison on October 28 for speaking out for women's rights in our country.  My mother is my role model and my hero, the bravest person I've ever known. She was the first female lawyer in Saudi Arabia to present a case in court. In Saudi Arabia, women aren't even allowed to drive. My mother continues to speak out against the government even though religious militants have threatened to kill her.  Now that they have her in prison, I'm terrified they'll make good on that threat. There are widespread reports of activists like my mother being beaten or even killed in Saudi prisons, so time is of the essence – we must build tremendous international pressure to free her, and we must do so right now. Please click here to sign my petition to free my mother, Souad Al-Shammary. My mother was not always an activist. When I was 7 y...
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We will be honoring Secretary Albright with the Clinton Global Citizen Award

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Robert, I want you to join me on November 19 for a very special event: an intimate conversation with my dear friend, the indomitable Madeleine Albright. Hosted by Olympian, five-time world champion, and former senior advisor for the U.S. Department of State, Michelle Kwan, our discussion will take place just before the Clinton Foundation  Putting People First Virtual Benefit . We will be honoring Secretary Albright with the Clinton Global Citizen Award for her leadership and longstanding commitment to diplomacy and human rights — and I want you to be there. Make a contribution of $5 or more for a chance to join me, Madeleine, Michelle, and then stay and attend the Virtual Benefit as our guest. In these extraordinary times, I’m grateful that Bill, Chelsea, and everyone at the Clinton Foundation have never lost sight of their fundamental mission to improve lives. And I’m incredibly proud that, amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the Foundation’s work has expanded — from providing hundreds of...
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My black history was not white enough for the University of Arkansas at Fort Smith.

 It's me the President of the Black Independent Party. Robert  Gilyard.  First black man to get a law degree from the University of Arkansas at Fort Smith in 2007. The first class that graduated from the college.. I am black history in Fort Smith Arkansas. But the whites at the University of Arkansas is bringing their own form of black people to represent our city and they're supposed to be representations of black folks from our city. How can I respect my Alumni when I see the same issues that were there when I was a student. These black folks don't do nothing but go to a college. Then go home. They ignore us. But they are the white people's favorite. Now we have to listen another year and watch them applaud them people that don't give a fuk about us. Because that's how black folks are in this area. They're just like white people they just have black face on. Over a hundred years our people in this town are ignored. And when we finally get a little bit of a...
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Rand: Fix America

GOP .com Robert, We’ve had enough. President Obama's big-government spending sprees in Washington are now threatening America's economic stability and freedom. It’s time to rein it in. And it’s time your voice is heard. We want to know  your  thoughts: how would you like to see us fix the debt and spending crisis in Washington? Share your solution today—and you could have a chance to discuss your proposal over lunch with Chairman Reince Priebus, Congressman Paul Ryan and me. You know better than any liberal Washington bureaucrat what it takes to cut spending, reduce the deficit and balance the budget. You do it every day in your own home or business. You don’t spend more than you have—and neither should our government. The big government’s unsustainable, reckless spending addiction has caused our national debt to increase by 65% under President Obama, and it also has caused the size of our government to grow by more than 100% in the past decade, according to th...
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