The White House

Office of the First Lady

For Immediate Release
July 20, 2011

First Lady Michelle Obama Announces Nationwide Commitments to Provide Millions of People Access to Healthy, Affordable Food in Underserved Communities

SUPERVALU, Walgreens, Walmart and regional retailers among those making major commitments

First Lady Michelle Obama joined leaders from major retailers, foundations and small businesses today to announce commitments that will provide access to healthy, affordable food to millions of people in underserved communities. The commitments from SUPERVALU, Walgreens, Walmart and regional retailers will include opening or expanding over 1,500 stores to serve communities throughout the country that currently do not have access to fresh produce and other healthy foods. These stores estimate that they will create tens of thousands of jobs and serve approximately 9.5 million people in these communities throughout the country. Currently, 23.5 million Americans – including 6.5 million children – live in low-income areas that lack stores likely to sell affordable and healthy foods. Studies have shown that limited access to healthy food choices can lead to poor diets, higher levels of obesity and other diet-related diseases.

“The commitments we’re announcing today have the potential to be a game-changer for kids and communities all across this country,” said First Lady Michelle Obama. “We can give people all the information and advice in the world about healthy eating and exercise, but if parents can’t buy the food they need to prepare those meals because their only options for groceries are the gas station or the local minimart, then all that is just talk. Let’s Move is about giving parents real choices about the food their kids are eating, and today’s announcement means that more parents will have a fresh food retailer right in their community – a place that sells healthy food, at reasonable prices, so they can feed their families the way they want.”

Mrs. Obama has been leading a nationwide effort to combat childhood obesity so that children born today will reach adulthood at a healthy weight.  The Let’s Move! Campaign is a comprehensive, collaborative, and community-oriented initiative that has sought to engage every sector of society to tackle head-on the many different factors that lead to childhood obesity.  Today’s announcement is a historic step towards addressing that issue and achieving the primary goal of Let’s Move! – solving the problem of childhood obesity within a generation

The White House Task Force on Childhood Obesity Report to the President identified access to healthy, affordable food as key to solving childhood obesity.  In February 2010, Mrs. Obama traveled to Philadelphia where she announced the Healthy Food Financing Initiative, a multi-million dollar public and private investment to improve access to healthy food. The President’s 2012 Budget proposes funding for the multi-year initiative to increase the availability of affordable, healthy foods in underserved urban and rural communities. The Departments of Agriculture, Health and Human Services, and Treasury are proposing $330 million in financing to community development financial institutions, other nonprofits, public agencies, and businesses with sound strategies for addressing the healthy food needs of communities.

Partnership for a Healthier America secured the following commitments and will be working with the companies to evaluate and monitor their progress with these efforts. Decisions on store locations will be made with communities based on their needs.

National Commitments

SUPERVALU – Committed to opening 250 Save-A-Lot stores over the next five years
SUPERVALU is committed to opening 250 new Save-A-Lot stores over the next five years in areas with limited or no access to healthy foods, and estimates that these new stores will serve approximately 3.75 million people and create more than 6,000 new jobs.  Headquartered in Minnesota, SUPERVALU is one of the nation’s largest retail and wholesale grocers serving customers across the United States through a network of approximately 4,294 stores, including ACME, Albertsons, Cub, Farm Fresh, Hornbacher’s, Jewel-Osco, Lucky, Save-A-Lot, Shaw’s, Shop ‘N Save and Shoppers, as well as independent grocery retailers served primarily by the company’s food distribution business.  

Walgreens – Committed to expanding its food offering to include whole fruits and vegetables, and other healthy options in at least 1,000 stores
Walgreens is the nation’s largest drugstore chain, operating 7,733 drugstores in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. More than 45% of those stores are located in underserved communities. As part of today’s announcement, Walgreens is committing to convert at least 1,000 of its stores into food oasis stores. This means that whole fruits and vegetables, pre-cut fruit salads and green salads as well as basic amenities like breads and ready-made meals will now be available at these locations, along with Walgreens accessible pharmacy, health and wellness services. This will bring basic fresh and healthy food to many communities where there currently is limited or no access. Walgreens estimates that these stores will serve nearly 4.8 million people.

Walmart – Committed to opening or expanding up to 300 stores by 2016
In January, Mrs. Obama joined Walmart executives to help launch the company’s initiative to make food healthier and healthier food more affordable.  Walmart’s healthier food initiative will reduce sodium and added sugars form packaged food items, make healthier food more affordable and develop a simple front-of-package seal for identifying healthier food choices. Today, Walmart is committing to opening or expanding 275 to 300 stores which will serve more than 800,000 people in rural and urban areas with limited or no access to grocery options. Walmart also estimates that more than 40,000 associates will work in these stores.

Regional Commitments

California FreshWorks Fund – Secured $200 million to promote healthy food retailing in California
A project of The California Endowment and an all-star team of partners, FreshWorks is a $200 million public-private partnership loan fund created to increase access to healthy, affordable food in underserved communities, spur economic development, and inspire innovation in healthy food retailing. The fund will provide financing to grocery stores and other healthy food retailers and distributors who meet a subset of skillfully developed program guidelines designed to move healthy food retailing forward in an affordable and accessible way and prioritize healthy choices from top to bottom. FreshWorks estimates that this fund will create or retain approximately 6,000 jobs.

Brown’s Super Store – Committed to building one new supermarket in Philadelphia and expanding one existing store in Chelthenham, PA
Brown’s Super Stores is a family owned and operated supermarket chain of Philadelphia area ShopRite supermarkets and was founded in 1988 by President and CEO Jeffrey Brown. Brown operates 10 ShopRite Supermarkets in the Philadelphia area, with five of his stores located in communities that were previously underserved communities. Brown will be opening one new supermarket in North Philadelphia and expanding an existing location in Chelthenham, PA as part of Mrs. Obama’s campaign. The state-of-the-art stores will feature several new innovations including a culturally inspired International Foods Department, Health Clinic, social service office and Pharmacy. Brown expects this expansion and new store will create approximately 325 jobs and serve 150,000 people.

Calhoun Grocer – Committed to building 10 stores in Alabama and Tennessee
Calhoun is an African American, family owned, small local chain based in Montgomery, Alabama. They serve areas in and around Mobile where their stores are often the only ones serving the community they are operating in.  They are working to expand their reach and work on improving access to communities in the south who are underserved.  As part of today’s announcement, Calhoun has committed to building 10 stores over the next 5 years in Alabama and Tennessee. Calhoun estimates they will create approximately 500 jobs and serve 10,000 people.

Klein’s Family Markets – Committed to opening one new store in Baltimore, MD
Klein’s Family Markets is headquartered in Forest Hill, MD and operates 7 ShopRite supermarkets in Maryland. They were founded in 1925 and have been operating supermarkets for four generations. Klein’s has committed to building one new store in Baltimore, MD and estimates creating approximately 275 jobs and serving 75,000 people. The state-of-the-art store will feature several new innovations including a culturally inspired International Foods Department, Health Clinic, social service office and Pharmacy.

A fact sheet on today’s announcement is available at http://letsmove.obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/sites/letsmove.gov/files/Food_access_factsheet.pdf.

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
July 19, 2011

President Obama Announces More Key Administration Posts

WASHINGTON – Today, President Barack Obama announced his intent to nominate the following individual to a key Administration post:

  • Roslyn A. Mazer, Inspector General, Department of Homeland Security

The President also announced his intent to appoint the following individuals to key Administration posts:

  • Gabriel Guerra-Mondragon, Member, J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board
  • Dallin Jensen, Member, Utah Reclamation Mitigation and Conservation Commission

President Obama said, “I am grateful that these talented and dedicated individuals have agreed to take on these important roles and devote their talents to serving the American people.  I look forward to working with them in the coming months and years.”

President Obama announced his intent to nominate the following individual to a key Administration post:

Roslyn A. Mazer, Nominee for Inspector General, Department of Homeland Security
Roslyn A. Mazer is currently the Inspector General of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), where she manages inspections, audits, and investigations relating to the programs and operations of the ODNI.  Ms. Mazer serves concurrently as chair of the Intelligence Community Inspectors General Forum, working with all Intelligence Community elements – including the Departments of Homeland Security, Justice, and State – to fulfill community-wide objectives established under the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004.  From 1993 to 2009, she served in senior positions at the Department of Justice, including seven years in the Office of the Inspector General, where she led reviews of the FBI’s use of national security letters and conducted investigations of misconduct by high-level Department officials and employees. Ms. Mazer also served as Associate Deputy Attorney General; as the Attorney General’s representative to the Interagency Security Classification Appeals Panel, which she chaired from 1996 to 2001; and as Special Counsel for Intellectual Property in the Criminal Division, when she led federal interagency and international initiatives to boost enforcement of criminal intellectual property laws. Prior to her government service, she was a partner at Dickstein Shapiro LLP, specializing in media and First Amendment law, criminal defense, and complex civil litigation.  Ms. Mazer holds a B.A., magna cum laude, from Syracuse University and a J.D. from the Columbus School of Law, Catholic University of America.

President Obama announced his intent to appoint the following individuals to  key Administration posts:

Ambassador Gabriel Guerra-Mondragon, Appointee for Member, J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board
Ambassador Gabriel Guerra-Mondragon is President of his own international consulting firm, Guerra and Associates.  Ambassador Guerra-Mondragon served as the United States Ambassador to Chile from 1994 until 1998. He was a U.S. Foreign Service Officer at the Department of State for 14 years. During these years, he served as staff assistant to the U.S. Secretary of State, Desk Officer for Colombia, Desk Officer for Nicaragua, and Executive Director of the U.S. National Commission to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Ambassador Guerra-Mondragon is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and a board member of the Latino Justice PRLDEF and the Limon Foundation.  Ambassador Guerra-Mondragon has a bachelor’s degree from Fordham University, a Master of Arts from the School of Advanced International Studies at the Johns Hopkins University, and a law degree from the University of Puerto Rico Law School.

Dallin Jensen, Appointee for Member, Utah Reclamation Mitigation and Conservation Commission
Dallin Jensen practices primarily in the area of water law at the law firm of Parsons Behle & Latimer.  He focuses on the analysis and governmental licensing of water projects, as well as negotiating with public interest and environmental groups.  Previously, Mr. Jensen served as Assistant Utah Attorney General and as Utah Solicitor General where he represented various state natural resource agencies, including the Division of Water Rights and the Division of Water Resources.  In addition to serving as a member of the Utah Reclamation, Mitigation, and Conservation Commission, Mr. Jensen is also a member of the legal committee of the Upper Colorado River Commission and a member of the Utah State Water Development Commission.  Mr. Jensen has a J.D. from the University of Utah and a B.S. in geology from Brigham Young University.

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
July 19, 2011

President Obama Announces Another Key Administration Post

WASHINGTON – Today, President Barack Obama announced his intent to nominate the following individual to a key Administration post:

  • Maureen K. Ohlhausen, Commissioner, Federal Trade Commission

President Obama announced his intent to nominate the following individual to a key Administration post:

Maureen K. Ohlhausen, Nominee for Commissioner, Federal Trade Commission
Maureen K. Ohlhausen is an attorney at Wilkinson Barker Knauer, LLP, where she is a partner in the firm’s privacy, data protection, and cybersecurity practice.  Previously, she worked at the Business Software Alliance as Technology Policy Council.  From 1997 to 2008, she served at the Federal Trade Commission in a number of leadership roles, including as Director of the Office of Policy Planning and, earlier, as an attorney advisor for Commissioner Orson Swindle.  Earlier in her career, Ms. Ohlhausen worked at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit as a law clerk for Judge David Sentelle and clerked for Judge Robert Yock of the U.S. Court of Federal Claims.  She is also a senior editor of the American Bar Association Antitrust Law Journal and has taught privacy law and unfair trade practices as an adjunct professor at George Mason University School of Law. Ms. Ohlhausen received a B.A. from the University of Virginia and a J.D. from George Mason University School of Law.

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
July 19, 2011

White House Chief of Staff Daley Highlights Priority for the President's Export Control Reform Initiative

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Today, White House Chief of Staff William Daley emphasized the Administration’s continued priority for the Export Control Reform Initiative as a national security imperative.  The reforms when implemented will facilitate cooperation with U.S. allies and export control regime partners, strengthen the competitiveness of sectors key to U.S. national security, and increase U.S. exports, while maintaining robust controls where appropriate to enhance our national security.   The current export control system is still based on the geopolitical, economic, and technological realties of the Cold War era and must be changed to meet 21st century national security needs.

Last August, President Obama announced the foundation of a new export control system to strengthen U.S. national security and competitiveness of key U.S. manufacturing and technology sectors by reforming our Cold War era system and adapting it to the changing economic and technological landscape.  This initiative followed a year-long interagency review that determined that the current export control system is overly complicated and fragmented, contains too many redundancies, and, in trying to control too much, diminishes our ability to focus on the most critical national security priorities, impairs the interoperability of our Armed Forces with our Allies in the field, and undermines the competitiveness of sectors key to U.S. national security.  

In his remarks, provided at a Department of Commerce export control conference, Chief of Staff Daley highlighted a proposed regulation which takes a major step forward in the reform effort.  The Commerce regulation proposes fundamental changes to the export control system by:

  • Laying out the process by which less militarily significant items (e.g., parts and components) will be transferred from the U.S. Munitions List (USML) to the more flexible Commerce Control List (CCL) within a new control series (informally termed the Commerce Munitions List);
  • Defining the licensing policies for those items that will be moved;
  • Proposing a single definition for a term “specially designed” to clarify a central element of the export control system; and
  • Demonstrating the application of this process to one category of the USML Category VII (Tanks and Military Vehicles).

Moving militarily less significant parts and components from the USML to the CCL is a major step in implementing the Administration’s common sense approach to export controls.  These changes will strengthen U.S. national security by allowing the export control system to focus on controlling the most critical technologies and by enhancing the competitiveness of key sectors:  

  • By applying the new criteria, 11,000 or approximately 90 percent of the 12,000 Category VII items licensed in 2009 and subject to stricter USML controls, even to our closest U.S. allies, will be shifted to a more flexible list;
  • Of the items that move, about 50 percent of the items will be eligible automatically for license-free treatment, subject to certain compliance and re-export requirements to U.S. allies and regime partners;
  • About 35 percent of transferred items will continue to require an export license, but would be eligible for consideration for license exception eligibility -- i.e., exportable without a specific export license -- to close U.S. allies and multilateral export control regime partners, with the same enhanced compliance and re-export authorization requirements, after U.S. Government approval;  
  • The remaining 15 percent will likely fall to the bottom of the list and no longer be subject to a license requirement to almost all countries;  
  • As a result, we anticipate that about 55 percent of the licenses currently issued for this category will be eliminated.

After consultations with Congress and review and consideration of the public’s comments on the proposed regulation, published by the Department of Commerce on July 15, 2011, the Administration will move forward with implementing these changes.  After the completion of the required congressional notification process and consideration of the public’s comments on the proposed revised categories, the lists will be published as final.

Background on the President’s Export Control Reform Initiative

In August 2009, the President ordered a broad-based review of the U.S. export control system with the goal of strengthening our national security and increasing the competitiveness of key manufacturing and technology sectors.  This review called for fundamental reform in what exportable goods we control, how we control them, how we enforce those controls, and how we manage those controls.  

The current export control system operates under two different control lists with fundamentally different approaches to defining products and administered by two different departments (State and Commerce).  There are three different primary licensing agencies, each applying their own policies, none seeing the others’ licenses, and all operating under unique procedures and definitions.  When completed, the President’s export control reform initiative will result in a single control list, a single licensing agency, a single primary enforcement coordination agency, and a single information technology system.

In April 2010, former Defense Secretary Gates called for the removal of licensing requirements for the bulk of the tens of thousands of license applications to EU and NATO countries for which we say “yes” to export, and said we should concentrate our resources on the rest – in short, a system where “higher walls are placed around fewer, more critical items.”

Last December, President Obama announced the first step of implementation, the application of new criteria to be used in defining how the lists should be rebuilt.  The Department of Commerce proposed rule creates a new framework for controlling militarily less significant defense articles (largely generic parts and components) by moving them from the more restrictive USML to the more flexible CCL.  The proposed rule – Control of Items the President Determines No Longer Warrant Control under the United States Munitions List – maintains controls for items that are significant to maintaining a military or intelligence advantage to the United States, while permitting more flexible licensing policies for exports to close U.S. allies and partners.  This rule marks the next step toward harmonizing the two control lists, which proposes the new list structure for the eventual creation of a single list administered by a single licensing agency.

The changes under consideration for how the United States controls military and other items are significant.  No items will move to the Commerce Control List until the Administration has had time to review and consider the public and other comments that are submitted about the proposed rule and after consultations with Congress.  For specifics of how the new rule will work, please see the Department of Commerce.

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
July 19, 2011

Statement by the Press Secretary on the President's Call with Chancellor Merkel of Germany

The President spoke with German Chancellor Angela Merkel this morning by telephone about the Euro zone crisis in advance of the European Council meeting on July 21.  They agreed that dealing effectively with this crisis is important for sustaining the economic recovery in Europe as well as for the global economy. The President also congratulated the Chancellor on Germany’s success in hosting this year’s Women’s World Cup and making it a memorable experience for players and fans alike.

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
July 18, 2011

Readout of the President's Roundtable Discussion on Financial Reform Implementation

This afternoon, President Obama held a roundtable discussion on the implementation of financial reform. The President hosted senior officials from the U.S. Department of the Treasury, the Federal Reserve Board, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, the Federal Housing Finance Agency, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, the National Credit Union Administration, and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

The President and the regulators discussed the progress that has been made on the implementation of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act to strengthen our financial system and protect consumers. The discussion also provided a forum for regulators to discuss issues they have encountered in the implementation process and ways of better harmonizing their efforts.

President Obama discussed the importance of moving forward with financial reform in a quick but careful manner. Attendees discussed their plans to continue their collective work to strengthen the financial system in the months ahead.

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
July 18, 2011

Presidential Nominations Sent to the Senate

NOMINATIONS SENT TO THE SENATE:
Richard Cordray, of Ohio, to be Director, Bureau of Consumer
Financial Protection for a term of five years.  (New Position)

Chester John Culver, of Iowa, to be a Member of the Board of
Directors of the Federal Agricultural Mortgage Corporation, vice
Julia Bartling.

David A. Montoya, of Texas, to be Inspector General, Department
of Housing and Urban Development, vice Kenneth M. Donohue, Sr.,
resigned.

Bruce J. Sherrick, of Illinois, to be a Member of the Board of
Directors of the Federal Agricultural Mortgage Corporation, vice Glen
Klippenstein.

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
July 18, 2011

President Obama Meets with Powells and Leading CEOs on Making Investments to Ensure a Competitive US Workforce

 

Several CEOs Announce New Investments

Today, the President will host an education roundtable with business leaders, Secretary Duncan, Senior Advisor Valerie Jarrett, Domestic Policy Council Director Melody Barnes, America’s Promise Alliance Chair Alma Powell and Founding Chair General Colin Powell to discuss building upon strong industry-led partnerships that are working to transform the American education system. Other corporate partners in attendance include representatives from the Business Roundtable, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the Business Coalition for Student Achievement, the Business-Higher Education Forum, and the United Way.

“A world-class education is the single most important factor in determining not just whether our kids can compete for the best jobs but whether America can outcompete countries around the world. America's business leaders understand that when it comes to education, we need to up our game. That's why were working together to put an outstanding education within reach for every child,” said President Barack Obama.

The President’s meeting with these leading CEOs builds on his continued leadership to work with the business community on the pressing needs of American education. Through efforts such as Change the Equation, with its focus on corporate investment in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education, Skills for America’s Future with its support of business partnerships with community colleges, and the President’s Council on Jobs and Competitiveness, the private sector is responding not just with financial support, but with commitments that take advantage of their areas of expertise and the skills of their employees. 

New Commitments Being Announced Today:

Community Engagement and Investment to Transform the Nation’s Lowest-Performing Schools: America’s Promise Alliance Grad Nation Community Impact Fund will raise $50 million to support the goal of ending the dropout crisis and prepare young people for college and career. The first planning grants from this social venture fund will be awarded in the fall to communities that demonstrate a commitment to local action aligned with the goals of the Grad Nation Campaign, including student supports for our most vulnerable young people.  Applicants will be communities with a low-performing school and a willingness and capacity to build a multi-sector, collaborative approach that includes partnerships with the business community and local school system, and the capacity to raise matching funds to promote local investment to sustain this work.

Expanding Opportunities for Students to Prepare for Livable Wage Jobs: Bank of America will announce a $50 million pledge to education over the next 3 years, launching this goal through $4.5 million in grants. The investment will support programs that bridge the achievement gap to post-secondary education completion and connect the underserved and unemployed, as well as returning veterans, and individuals with disabilities, to workforce success in high-growth sectors, in particular through community colleges.  Recognizing the need for knowledgeable and skilled workers to compete in the global economy, Bank of America is investing in education as part of its comprehensive lending, investing and volunteer activities aimed at strengthening the economic and social health of communities.

Research and Development for Next Generation Learning Models and Resources for Students and Teachers: Building on its history of commitment to education and recent $25 million STEM Scholarship grant program in Washington State, Microsoft Education is announcing a new $15M investment in research and development for immersive learning technologies including game based instruction and the creation of a lifelong learning digital archive. Through the creation of these innovative solutions, the disengaged can become passionate problem solvers and the struggling student can be offered other pathways to success.  Rooted in this investment is the understanding that technical innovation alone will not help. Therefore, over the next 3 years, Microsoft is committing to train over 150 thousand educators and leaders and provide access to professional learning communities and training to every teacher in the United States through the new Partners in Learning Network.

Supporting a Statewide Focus on Education System Redesign: In the past four years, the Nike School Innovation Fund (NSIF) has provided $7 million in innovation grants and thousands of volunteer hours by senior Nike leaders and other employees to support students, teachers and principals in three Oregon public school districts. The Fund is announcing a new commitment as a primary partner of Oregon Governor John Kitzhaber and his initiative to help make the state’s entire education system more nimble, innovative and supportive of the key grades of 9 to 12. With this news, Nike’s commitment to strengthening education in Oregon totals $10 million. The NSIF will now provide a year of funding, expertise and policy guidance that is expected to serve as a model for the Governor’s larger statewide education transformation plan.

Participants in Today’s Meeting Include:
• Marguerite Kondracke, President & CEO, America’s Promise
• Alma Powell, Chairwoman, America’s Promise
• General Colin Powell, Founding Chairman, America’s Promise
• Craig Barrett, Former President & CEO, Intel
• Glenn Britt, CEO, Time Warner Cable
• Steve Case, Former Chairman & CEO, America Online
• Brian Gallagher, President & CEO, United Way Worldwide
• William Green, President & CEO, Accenture
• Fred Humphries, Senior Vice President, Microsoft
• Rhonda Mimms, Foundation President, ING
• Kathleen Murphy, President, Fidelity Personal Investments
• Ed Rust, CEO, State Farm
• Randall Stephenson, Chairman & CEO, AT&T

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
July 17, 2011

Statement by the Press Secretary on the First Family Viewing the Women’s World Cup Final

This afternoon, the First Family gathered in the Treaty Room office in the White House to cheer on the US women's soccer team in the World Cup Final.  A photo of the First Family enjoying the game is available HERE.

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
July 17, 2011

Statement by the President and Mrs. Obama on Nelson Mandela International Day

As the people of the world celebrate Nelson Mandela’s 93rd birthday on July 18, Madiba continues to be a beacon for the global community, and for all who work for democracy, justice and reconciliation. On behalf of the people of the United States, we congratulate Nelson Mandela, and honor his vision for a better world.

Nelson Mandela said, ‘There is no passion to be found playing small - in settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living.’ A man who devoted 67 years of his life to public service, Madiba sets the standard for service worldwide, whether we are students, shopkeepers or farmers, cabinet ministers or presidents. He calls on us to serve our fellow human beings, and better our communities.

Michelle, and my daughters, Sasha and Malia, recently met Madiba during an official visit to South Africa that focused on service, youth leadership, education and healthy living. Their time with Madiba was the most moving part of their trip.  Mandela’s legacy exemplifies wisdom, strength and grace, and on the anniversary of his birth we salute the example of his life.  

In 2009, the United States was honored to join 192 other United Nations member states in the creation of Nelson Mandela International Day. As the global community honors Madiba on July 18 through individual and collective acts of service, we honor the man who showed his own people, and the world, the path to justice, reconciliation and democracy.