Health & wellbeing stories

Erin Barnett helps a young Black girl in a leotard with her dance position as she holds onto the freestanding ballet barre.
  • Girls Opportunity Alliance
  • Chicago
Meet Erin, founder of Black Girls Dance in Chicago

Discover how dance empowers girls on stage, in leadership, and in life.

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Eight young men with a range of medium to dark skin tones play basketball on a black basketball court. Photo Credit: Lucas Kult-Banourt
  • MBK Alliance
  • Obama Picks
President Obama’s 2025 March Madness picks

March Madness is here—and we’re excited to continue our annual tradition of sharing President Obama’s Brackets. Check it out.

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Two Black women leaders with a range of light to dark skin tones are dressed in pink and green Jumping Juniors-branded attire holding a jump rope inside a studio.
  • Girls Opportunity Alliance
  • Chicago
Unlocking girls’ potential through Double Dutch

Discover how Jumping Juniors empowers girls through Double Dutch jump rope with support from the Girls Opportunity Alliance.

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Robert Diamond, a man with a light skin tone smiles at the camera. He is wearing a suit and is standing at the White House.
  • Alumni
  • Changemakers
The act that improved mental health service for veterans

Explore the impact of the Clay Hunt Act a decade after its passage, as told by an Obama alumni

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A young Black girl wearing a blue Project Exploration shirt raises her hand in a classroom lab setting as her instructor looks on.
  • Stories
  • Equality
Bridging the gap in STEM education for girls in Chicago

See how Project Exploration creates dynamic STEM learning opportunities for girls on the West Side of Chicago.

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Two girl-serving leaders smile as they share notes during the Alliance’s Chicago convening. Both have medium dark skin tones and are wearing pink blazers with attendee credentials.
  • Equality
  • Community Engagement
Girls Opportunity Alliance brings together over 80 girl-serving leaders in Chicago

See how the Girls Opportunity Alliance brings together leaders from across Chicago for connection and capacity building.

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Nimon, a young Kenyan woman, sits at a table with a notebook and pen in hand. She is wearing a black blazer and blouse, with shelves of books pictured behind her.
  • Watch
  • Girls Opportunity Alliance
Nimon’s story

Learn how the Girls Opportunity Alliance helps adolescent girls in Kenya access high-quality education and holistic support.

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Uyen, a young Vietnamese girl with a medium skin tone, poses with a pink bicycle. She is wearing a school uniform with a white collared shirt, navy skirt and pink backpack. Mountains and flower fields are pictured in the background.
  • Watch
  • Girls Opportunity Alliance
Uyen’s story

Learn how the Girls Opportunity Alliance helps address transportation barriers and safety for girls in Vietnam.

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A young girl, Mosa, sits at a classroom desk with a laptop branded with “Beyond the Classroom Initiative” and two girls sitting behind her. She wears a gray blouse and has her braided hair tied up with a purple hair-tie
  • Watch
  • Girls Opportunity Alliance
Mosa’s story

Watch how the Girls Opportunity Alliance helps close the gender gap in STEM through digital literacy training for girls.

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Judith Godfrey, a young Tanzanian woman with a dark skin tone, poses in a classroom with her arms crossed. She wears a black dress with blue flowers and has short hair.
  • Watch
  • Girls Opportunity Alliance
Judith’s story

Watch how the Girls Opportunity Alliance supports education access for adolescent girls in Tanzania.

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Dechen, a young Nepali girl with a medium skin tone, draws stars on paper with a yellow case of colored pencils. She is wearing a purple dress, and her chin-length black hair is held with a purple clip.
  • Watch
  • Girls Opportunity Alliance
Dechen’s story

Learn how the Girls Opportunity Alliance helps educate and empower the next generation of Nepali girls.

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A group of young Black girls wearing dance leotards pose for a photo against a purple background.
  • Girls Opportunity Alliance
  • Watch
Girls Opportunity Alliance helps girls in Chicago gain greater access to the arts

See how Praize Productions, Inc. nurtures girls’ talent, self-expression, and life skills through performing arts.

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A boy with dark skin tone smiles as he holds a certificate and shakes hands with an almond-skin toned man.
  • Stories
  • Programs
The My Brother’s Keeper Alliance 2024 year in review

As we close out this exciting, impact-filled year, we wanted to share some of our favorite memories.

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A Black woman wearing a blue sweatshirt and floral leggings holds a yoga pose. She is encircled by a group of adolescent Black girls wearing matching maroon shirts and holding the same pose. They are a range of light to dark skin tones.
  • Girls Opportunity Alliance
  • Youth
Girls Opportunity Alliance provides more than $1 million in support on International Day of the Girl

Learn how the Alliance is joining forces with 26 organizations serving adolescent girls in Chicago and around the world

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Indigenous girls of the Sacred Valley Project work on school activities together at a long table covered in books, worksheets, colorful markers, and other school supplies.
  • Watch
  • Girls Opportunity Alliance
Meet the Girls of Sacred Valley Project

Learn how the Girls Opportunity Alliance supports secondary education for girls in rural Peru.

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Brenda, a young Tanzanian girl with a dark skin tone, raises her hand among her classmates. The group is outside and Brenda wears a school uniform with a white collared shirt, striped tie, and sweater. They are all a range of medium to dark skin tones.
  • Watch
  • Girls Opportunity Alliance
Brenda’s story

Learn how the Girls Opportunity Alliance supports community-driven solutions that advance equality and climate justice in Tanzania.

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Betty, a young woman with a dark skin tone, turns around and poses for the photo while walking down a dirt path. She is wearing a striped yellow shirt, a black backpack, and has dyed pink hair.
  • Watch
  • Girls Opportunity Alliance
Betty’s story

See how the Girls Opportunity Alliance supports STEM education for Kenyan girls with disabilities.

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Addison, a young Black girl with a light skin tone, films with her camera along Lake Michigan in Chicago. She is wearing a black t-shirt, hoop earrings, and her hair is curly.
  • Watch
  • Girls Opportunity Alliance
Addison’s story

Watch how the Girls Opportunity Alliance supports girls through mentorship programs in Chicago.

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A group of three smiling girls with a range of light to medium skin tones run together on an outdoor court.
  • Girls Opportunity Alliance
  • Chicago
Girls Opportunity Alliance helps girls' sports and leadership program expand to Chicago’s South Side

See how Girls in the Game is empowering girls through sports programming to develop their health, leadership, and life skills.

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Liza Zaruba, a woman with a light skin tone and long blonde hair, stands in between country flags outside of the United Nations. She rests her hands on her hips and is wearing a white blouse and yellow pants.
  • Voyagers
  • Global Reach
Obama-Chesky Voyager travels from Togo to Geneva to make a difference in health care

Explore Liza Zaruba's Summer Voyage, and learn how she plans to apply her new health care skills back in Chicago.

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missing
  • MBK Alliance
  • Youth
MBK Omaha, the journey to impact

MBK Omaha has become a Model Community for showing a population-level impact on Milestone 6, all youth remain safe from violent crimes by demonstrating a 30 percent decrease in homicides from 2011 to 2022.

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Michelle Obama addresses the Global Summit on Women's Empowerment in Dubai. Michelle Obama is sitting at a long table surrounded by three other women. The women are speaking to one and other and smiling.
  • Girls Opportunity Alliance
  • Programs
In the News: The Girls Opportunity Alliance

Learn more about how the Girls Opportunity Alliance is working to empower and educate girls around the world

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President Obama sits at a desk signing the Affordable Care Act, surrounded by a group of politicians, then Vice President Joe Biden, and a young boy.
  • Watch
  • Presidential History
A look back at 14 years of the Affordable Care Act

Hear from President Obama as he reflects on this milestone moment.

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President Obama and then Vice President Joe Biden clap as they stand at a conference table. In the background, people with a range of light skin tones clap and cheer. All are dressed professionally.
  • Presidential History
  • Watch
Oral histories offer reflections on the Affordable Care Act

Personal stories released that highlight the legacy and impact of the ACA

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The image is a combined photo of five women. The first is Clarissa Kornell: she has long curly dark hair, a light olive complexion and is wearing a dark pink shirt with a light pink scarf. Clarissa is smiling in the picture. The second woman is Sabra Townsend: she has shoulder length locs that are curled. Sabra has a medium brown skinned complexion and is wearing a dark blue blazer with an orange shirt underneath. Sabra is smiling in the picture. The third woman is Juliet Choi: she has dark hair cut into a shoulder-length bob and she has an olive complexion. Juliet is wearing black glasses, a brown necklace, and a short sleeved blue blouse. Juliet is smiling in the picture. The fourth woman is Alefiyah Mesiwala. Alefiyah has long black hair, dark olive skin and hazel eyes. Alefiyah is wearing a dark blue scarf and a black shirt and smiling in the picture. The fifth woman is Jamie Lockhart: Jamie has long dark brown hair and pale skin. Jamie is wearing a pink blazer and a black shirt underneath. Jamie is also wearing a small diamond necklace and smiling in the picture.
  • Alumni
  • Presidential History
Meet five women making their mark in health care

Meet five women carrying forward the legacy of the Affordable Care Act in their communities

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DeKevious Wilson, a Black man with a deep skin tone, looks off camera as he stands in front of a home. He has a salt and pepper afro and beard. He is wearing a Becoming a Man t-shirt and denim jacket.
  • Scholars
  • Youth
Obama scholar advocates for youth mental health

DeKevious Wilson strengthens youth mental health through policy work.

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A Black boy with a deep skin tone wears a sweatshirt and holds onto the rim of a basketball net, looking upward. The sky behind is a deep blue.
  • MBK Alliance
  • Youth
Freedom Summer 2023

Check out the Freedom Summer 2023 grant recipients!

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Barack Obama a man with golden brown skin sitting at a table wearing a formal suit while writing with a diverse group of people behind him with mainly neutral light skin and a little boy with brown skin wearing a formal suit looking at the paper Barack is writing on
  • Watch
  • Presidential History
In depth: How the Affordable Care Act changed America

Understand the impact of this historic legislation for American families and share your story.

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A large visual of "2022" with blue and green ombre numbers and white background.
  • Stories
  • Programs
Inspiring hope. Taking action.

As we reflect on this year, we couldn’t be more proud of the work of our global network of leaders who are tackling some of the most vital issues of our time and working together to strengthen their communities and our institutions.

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Event goers make signs that read "powers for good."
  • Chicago
  • Community Engagement
Your friendly neighborhood superheroes

These Chicago organizers want you to check in on your neighbor

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President Obama and Stephen Curry, a man with a light-medium skin tone, light brown hair, wearing a dark blue suit jacket and jeans, speak to a panel of young men with various skin tones. The background includes white, orange, and blue ¨MBK Rising¨ and Obama Foundation graphics.
  • MBK Alliance
  • Event
MBK Rising!

MBK Rising! brought together the growing network of MBK Communities, cross-sector leaders, and young men of color and the organizations working hard to help them achieve their dreams. See the highlights

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In this picture a lady with a deep skin tone wearing a teal shirt and a light blue dress with flower patterns is shown sitting on a tree stump.
  • Girls Opportunity Alliance
  • Equality
Rebecca’s story

Rebecca’s story

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A woman with a medium deep skin tone smiles. She has grey-streaked black hair, glasses, red lipstick, a pearl necklace, and is wearing a white suit jacket with white accents on the collar.
  • Equality
  • Alumni
Taking up the baton: Jocelyn Frye

Meet One Obama Alum Who is Leading the Fight for Women's Equality

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Activists In Chicago Protest Police Brutality In Death Of George Floyd
  • MBK Alliance
  • Youth
Curbing youth violence, creating safe communities: a nationwide call to action

I am proud to announce that the MBK Alliance is ramping up our efforts to support our MBK Network. The start of these efforts is our nationwide call to action, Freedom Summer 2022. Communities across the country often experience an uptick in youth violence

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The Obama Foundation Logo
  • Chicago
  • Youth
Michael Strautmanis reflects on the death of Chicago teen Seandell Holliday

Chicago lost another innocent life this weekend and this one came close to home.

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An animation shows people ranging of all ages and skin tones, enjoying the Obama Presidential Center
  • Michelle Obama
  • Building the Center
The Eleanor Roosevelt fruit & vegetable garden honors a truly groundbreaking first lady

From our earliest days of planning, we always knew we wanted to have a Fruit & Vegetable Garden at the future Obama Presidential Center

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An illustration of four people with a range of light to deep skin tones lifting one another up on top of a paper plane. The background is pink.

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