Before today, we knew very little about the Obama Foundation, the venture that Barack Obama announced on his personal Twitter account shortly after Donald Trump's inauguration. The Foundation's website merely describes it as an organization that "will focus on developing the next generation of citizens."
While the details of what that will entail are still somewhat blurry, the Foundation announced a new partnership today that brings its work into focus:
We've partnered with @StoryCorps to share American stories from folks whose lives were transformed during the Obama years.
— The Obama Foundation (@ObamaFoundation) January 30, 2017
Started in 2003, StoryCorps records interviews with people from all different backgrounds, so that they can "pass wisdom from one generation to the next." These stories, which are available online and through the StoryCorps podcast, seem in sync with what we know so far about the Obama Foundation's mission. They showcase diversity in all its forms — a special LGBT initiative, Outloud, was launched in 2014 — and work to inspire and inform the nation's youth.
The first story available through the partnership comes from Lilly Ledbetter. Ledbetter's fight for equal pay led to the signing of the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009 and the creation of a National Equal Pay Task Force under the Obama administration.
Our first story comes from @lilly_ledbetter, whose wage discrimination suit led to the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act: https://t.co/joqTmgCB7U pic.twitter.com/3PkoAvpl0B
— The Obama Foundation (@ObamaFoundation) January 30, 2017
Go here to listen to Ledbetter speak about her experience. And stay tuned for more impactful stories to come.