Obama “Hair Like Mine” moment captured at the White House Source: The White House/Getty
Fformer president barack obamaHis tenure in the White House illustrates the importance of representation. Within the barrier-breaking civic leader, people from different walks of life were reflected, even the youngest of citizens. Jacob Philadelphia—one of the children inspired by the former president—received a message of Obama before he graduated from high school.
Jacob met Obama in 2009 during a visit to the Oval Office. The then five-year-old was at the White House with his father Carlton Philadelphia which was formerly part of the National Security Council. During his meeting with Obama, Jacob asked, “Is your hair like mine? and the then president allowed him to touch his hair.
The youngster’s investigation led to a viral photo taken by a high-profile photographer Pete Souza nicknamed “Hair Like Mine”. The heartwarming image is part of a collective of photographs taken by Souza that illustrate Obama’s indelible influence and impact. The photo lived on a West Wing wall for years during Obama’s presidency.
Before Jacob’s high school graduation on Friday, he received a video call from the former president. The two recalled Jacob’s visit to the White House and Obama congratulated him on his milestone.
“It was a pretty significant moment in my life,” Jacob share. “It’s very wonderful to see representation in government because if I see another black man being at the top, being at that top, then I want to go that route.”
obama added the image “embodied one of the hopes I had when I started running for office”. He said he hoped “people who maybe never felt like they belonged, they would look at themselves differently.” Jacob, a graduate of the International School of Uganda, plans to pursue a degree in political science at the University of Memphis.
The heartfelt reunion comes after news broke that the Obama Foundation is partnering with Airbnb to create scholarships for aspiring civic leaders.
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