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Former President Obama is being honored with a new state holiday in his former state of Illinois.

Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner (R) signeda measure Friday to make Aug. 4 Barack ObamaBarack ObamaOvernight Tech: Senate panel approves FCC nominees | Dem group invests in progressive startups | Tech groups rip Trump immigration plan Russian PM: New sanctions amount to 'full-scale trade war' America's divisions: The greatest strategic vulnerability of our time MORE Day in the state, according to NBC Chicago. The holiday will be celebrated each year on Obamas birthday beginning in 2018.

The day isset apart to honor the 44th President of the United States of America who began his career serving the People of Illinois in both the Illinois State Senate and the United States Senate, and dedicated his life to protecting the rights of Americans and building bridges across communities.

Senate Bill 55 was passedby both state houses with no votes against it.

"It's incredibly proud for Illinois that the president came from Illinois. I think it's awesome, and I think we should celebrate it," Rauner said at the time, according to NBC Chicago. "I don't think it should be a formal holiday with paid, forced time off, but I think it should be a day of acknowledgment and celebration."

Obama celebrated his 56th birthday on Friday, his first since leaving the White House. He and former first lady Michelle ObamaMichelle ObamaMelania Trump to lead US delegation to Invictus Games Michelle Obama opens up about racism she faced as first lady Video surfaces of Michelle Obama at Beyonces birthday party MORE were spotted at Rasika West End in Washington, D.C.celebrating.

Former Vice PresidentJoe BidenJoe BidenOvernight Tech: Senate panel approves FCC nominees | Dem group invests in progressive startups | Tech groups rip Trump immigration plan Obama team pushing Deval Patrick presidential run Biden lobbied McCain on healthcare vote: report MOREwished Obama happybirthday on Twitter Friday morning.

"Your service has been a great gift to the country, and your friendship and brotherhood are a great gift to me. Happy birthday, Barack," Bidentweeted.

Link:
Illinois makes 'Barack Obama Day' a state holiday - The Hill (blog)

For many people, their wedding day is the best day of their lives. But for these Americans, the day they received a save-the-date response from Barack Obama may top the list.

The former president (well, actually his office) continues to respond to wedding invitations -- even though he's left the White House. Apparently mail forwarding is one government function that has avoided the DC gridlock.

Yes, it's only a form letter. But these recipients aren't going to let that dim their excitement.

Earlier this week, Brooke Allen tweeted a photo of a response her mother, Liz Whitlow, just received from the Office of Barack and Michelle Obama to say congratulations on her wedding.

Soon, others started sharing photos of similar responses they received. It turns out Obama's office responded to wedding invitations throughout his eight years in office.

Chelsea Roden and her wife, Lisa, sent then-President Obama a handwritten invitation to their wedding in 2016.

"I was really grateful for the work his administration did," Roden told CNN. "When we first started dating in 2011, same-sex marriage wasn't even on the table."

She completely forgot about the invitation she mailed to the White House until she got a response back one month before her wedding.

It read: "Congratulations on your wedding day. May this special time be blessed with love, laughter, and happiness. We wish you all the best as you embark on your journey together, and we hope your bond grows stronger with each passing year."

When Carmen Alvarez-Mendoza got married in 2014, she invited the Obamas as well as Oprah and Ellen DeGeneres. She told CNN she was pleasantly surprised when POTUS and FLOTUS actually responded.

And for all the single ladies out there, it's not just wedding invitations that get an Obama response.

Aubree Spath mailed her high school graduation announcement to the White House and got a lengthy reply.

"It's somewhat magical reading the letter and thinking Obama's proud of you," Spath told CNN. "It really did put the cherry on top of my senior year."

New mom Rachel Newsom sent the Obamas a birth announcement for her daughter, Harlem, in October and got a response welcoming the baby to the world.

Newsom said she wanted to send the announcement before Obama left office. "I was nervous that I might not get a response from the Obama administration," she said. "I wondered if I had waited too late."

It seems that Obama plans to keep up the tradition even though he no longer has the White House letterhead.

Today the former President turns 56.

Go ahead and send him a birthday card and see if he responds.

See the original post here:
Obama still responds to wedding invitations, other notes - ABC15 Arizona

Melvinia Shields was born a slave. Her great-great-great granddaughter became the First Lady of the United States.

Director Ava Duvernay celebrated Michelle Obama and her ancestors in a recent tweet that also stands as a tribute to the journey of many African American families.

The A Wrinkle In Time director posted a photo of the former First Ladys great-great-great grandmother's memorial in Rex, GA. Melvinia Shieldswas a slave, and it was only five generations later that her direct descendant would become the nations first black First Lady.

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Become your ancestor's wildest dream, Duvernay captionedthe photo.

And it is the memorial's message that had many on Twitter in their feelings: This memorial is dedicated to the remarkable life of Melvinia 'Mattie'Shields McGruder."

RELATED: Michelle Obama Gives The Backstory For Her Side-Eye At Trump's Inauguration

It continued: "She was born a slave in South Carolina in 1844. At age 6, she was brought to the nearby Shields Farm in what is now Rex, Clayton County, Georgia. Her family would endure a five-generation journey that began in oppression and would lead her descendant to become First Lady of the United States of America Michelle Obama.

Theirs is a story of hope, itfinishes.

RELATED: White House Denies Ever Planning To End Michelle Obamas Let Girls Learn Program

Many on Twitter found the tweet, and the memorial, profound:

RELATED: Michelle Obama Says She Won't Run For Office: 'I Wouldnt Ask My Children To Do This Again'

You canread more about Obamas complex history in Rachel Swarns book American Tapestry: The Story of the Black, White and Multiracial ancestors of Michelle Obama.

View post:
This Tweet By Ava Duvernay Is An Ode To Michelle Obama's Family And Its Long Journey To The White House - Essence.com

Former President Barack Obama got a special treat for his birthday this year - his very own holiday.

Governor Bruce Rauner signed into law Friday a measure to designate Aug. 4 as "Barack Obama Day" across Illinois.

The newest state holiday will be celebrated each year on the 44th president's birthday, beginning in 2018.

The holiday will be "observed throughout the State as a day set apart to honor the 44th President of the United States of America who began his career serving the People of Illinois in both the Illinois State Senate and the United States Senate, and dedicated his life to protecting the rights of Americans and building bridges across communities," Senate Bill 55 reads. White House Photographer Shares Favorite Obama Photos

While several lawmakers abstained from voting on the measure, it passed both houses earlier this year without a single vote against.

SB 55 was introduced by Sen. Emil Jones III, the son of former Senate President Emil Jones, Jr., who played a major role in launching then-state Senator Obama to the U.S. Senate in 2004 and considers himself to be the former presidents political "godfather."

"Barack Obama Day" joins other commemorative holidays like Adlai Stevenson Day, Ronald Reagan Day and Jane Addams Day, for which workplaces do not close. Michelle Obama Reveals 'Secret' No One Noticed About Barack

Democrats' efforts to make Obamas birthday a legal state holiday during which schools and state offices would close, while banks and businesses could, but would not be required to close stalled after some lawmakers voiced concern that other Illinois presidents, like Reagan, do not have similar holidays.

Republicans, including Rauner, also noted the economic cost of closing state buildings on the holiday, and the impact of workers having the day off.

"It's incredibly proud for Illinois that the president came from Illinois. I think it's awesome, and I think we should celebrate it," Rauner told reporters in February. "I don't think it should be a formal holiday with paid, forced time off, but I think it should be a day of acknowledgment and celebration."

Legislators also voted in July to rename part of a Chicago-area highway after their former colleague, designating the stretch of Interstate 55 from the Tri-State Tollway south to mile marker 202 near Pontiac as the "Barack Obama Presidential Expressway."

Published at 1:10 PM CDT on Aug 5, 2017 | Updated at 6:09 PM CDT on Aug 5, 2017

Continue reading here:
'Barack Obama Day' Is Now an Illinois Holiday - NBC Chicago (blog)

What a difference 120 years can make.

Ava DuVernay shared a powerful photo on Twitter Saturday morning honoring the progress African-Americans have made throughout the history of the United States.

Become your ancestors wildest dream, the Selma director tweeted, attaching a photo of a memorial that pays tribute to one of former first lady Michelle Obamas ancestors, Melvinia Shields, who was a slave.

She was born a slave in South Carolina in 1844, the memorial inscription reads. Obama was born in 1964, 120 years after her great-great-great-grandmother.

Shields is buried elsewhere inGeorgia, but the memorial stands in Rex, a community outside of Atlanta, where she worked as a slave on a farm, a struggle referenced on the memorial.

At age 6 she was brought to the nearby Shields farm in what is now Rex, Clayton County, Georgia, states the inscription on the memorial, which was dedicated in 2014,according to The Rome News-Tribune.

Her family would endure a five-generation journey that began in oppression and would lead her descendent to become first lady of the United States of America, Michelle Obama, the inscription continues. Theirs is a story of hope.

But despite all the progress, America still has a long way to go to overcome prejudice, something Obama and her husband,former PresidentBarack Obama, know from firsthand experience.

In December, Barack Obama, spoke on CNN of the racism hed facedduring his eight years in the White House.Attitudes about my presidency among whites in northern states are very different from whites in southern states, he noted.

And last month,Michelle Obama opened up during a talk to a group of women about the struggles she experienced as first lady. Knowing that after eight years of working really hard for this country, there are still people who wont see me for what I am because of my skin color, Obama said.

Still, her great-great-great-grandmother would probably be amazed to find out that her granddaughter made it all the way to the White House. And shed sure as hell be proud of her and her husband for speaking out about the racist attacks they experienced.

We cant wait to see how the legacy of the Obama family will continue into the future. (No pressure, Malia and Sasha.)

Read more here:
Ava DuVernay Pays Tribute To Michelle Obama's Slave Ancestor - HuffPost