Saying Goodbye To The Kojo Nnamdi Show
On this last episode, we look back on 23 years of joyous, difficult and always informative conversation.
Barack Obama and the Racing Presidents at Nationals Park
When President Obama took office in 2009 he vowed to “make government cool again.” Eager young workers, inspired by Obama’s slogan of “hope and change” flooded D.C — a town already in the throes of change itself. Eight years later on the cusp of a Trump administration, D.C. is a town transformed both physically and socially. Gentrified neighborhoods boast Michelin-starred restaurants, the city has a growing tech sector and gleaming new buildings have replaced dilapidated neighborhoods. But while the Obamas and their staffers made a significant mark on the city, they also missed opportunities and quashed expectations of longtime D.C. residents. We examine how the Obama years changed the District and we explore the impact of political cycles on the vibrancy of the city.
Guests
- Daniella Gibbs Leger Senior Vice President, Communications and Strategy, Center for American Progress
- Elaina Plott Staff Writer, Washingtonian Magazine
- Maurice Jackson Professor of History, Georgetown University; author of "Let This Voice Be Heard: Anthony Benezet, Father of Atlantic Abolitionism" (Univ. of Pennsylvania Press)
The Obamas In Local Washington
President Obama attends a Washington Wizards basketball game at Verizon Center in February 2009
Burger diplomacy at Ray's Hells Burger in Arlington, Va., with President Obama and Russia's Dmitry Medvedev (June 2010)
The president and first lady helping to plant trees at D.C's Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens in April 2009
Employees at the local tech incubator 1776 get face time with President Obama (June 2014)
The president talks health care with diners at The Coupe restaurant in Columbia Heights (January 2014)
The first lady selfies with a student from Baltimore at an event at Alexandria's T.C. Williams High School in 2014.
If you live in D.C. long enough, you'll probably end up with a story about seeing infomercial legend Matthew Lesko around town. Obama met Lesko in 2015.
Obama at Politics and Prose bookstore in November 2014 - local bookstores were frequent Small Business Saturday stops during his time in office.
Obama slides over the counter to meet employees at a D.C. Shake Shack (May 2014)
Local Little League baseball players high-five with Obama at Friendship Park (known to many D.C. residents as "Turtle Park") in the spring of 2014
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