Fans are declaring June 14 as Barack Obama’s day, which also happens to land on Donald Trump’s birthday.
On Twitter, several fans have used the hashtag #ObamaDayJune14 as a way to celebrate the 44th president’s legacy. “Even though it’s not Obama’s birthday, I’m still wishing him a happy birthday because he is the only president we’re acknowledging today #ObamaDayJune14th,” one fan wrote.
Another added, “‘Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for. We are the change that we seek.’ #ObamaDayJune14th.”
Since his departure from The White House, Obama has maintained a special place in fans’ hearts. More recently, he gave an empowering speech at a virtual town hall meeting following the killing of George Floyd, an unarmed black man who died at the hands of police brutality in Minneapolis. While speaking about the importance of hope, the father of two explained that he was proud of young people’s ability to voice their concerns.
“[These circumstances] offer an opportunity for us to work together to tackle them, to take them on, to change America and make it live up to its highest ideals,” he said. “I want to speak directly to the young men and women of color in this country who have witnessed too much violence and too much death…I want you to know that you matter. I want you to know that your lives matter. That your dreams matter.”
A few days before his virtual speech, Obama penned a letter, providing ways on how people can make a real change amid the problems in today’s world. He explained that elected officials appointed by the people have a responsibility to do good. “As millions of people across the country take to the streets and raise their voices in response to the killing of George Floyd and the ongoing problem of unequal justice, many people have reached out asking how we can sustain momentum to bring about real change,” he wrote.
Check out some of the best #ObamaDayJune14 tweets below.