Like many of his friends, Walt Goodridge fears the American media won't be fair or balanced when recognizing and documenting the historical significance and long-term impact of Barack Obama's two-terms as president. Goodridge, however, did something about it, and has crowdfunded and published a unique "photo documentary" entitled The Obama Legacy: A We-Write of the Greatest American Presidency.
"After eight years, much of what people now feel about the Obama presidency isn't the result of an objective assessment of his accomplishments," explains Goodridge, founder of the Obama Legacy We-Write Book Project. "It's media spin in a country that, historically, has fallen short when it comes to humanizing men and women of color and glorifying their achievements. Internationally, Obama is recognized as one of the great statesmen-with poise, grace, and intelligence unmatched in modern American politics. Domestically, he's had major successes that have been overlooked or under-reported for various reasons. As his term ends, we can't allow pundits, politicians or Hollywood producers to determine how we and our children remember this particular presidency. We need to take pre-emptive action to reclaim and control the dialogue."
To those who claim disappointment with Obama's presidency, Goodridge, in the book's introduction, reminds them that despite previous presidents all having the power to do soand despite conspired obstruction that began on the night of his electionObama passed the first health care reform in the nation's history, advocated gay marriage rights, made equal pay for women the law, appointed multiple female supreme court justices, welcomed gays to the military and improved US-Cuba and US-Japan relations. He oversaw the demise of Osama Bin Laden, Iraq troop withdrawal and voted against the Keystone Pipeline, and quite notably, commuted 1,324 harsh sentencesmore than the previous 11 presidents combined.
Goodridge offers these achievements as examples of what he calls 'real progress'-legislation and actions that counter the existing effects of this nation's foundation of white supremacy, institutionalized racism, fanatic nationalism, male sexism, religious extremism and corporate capitalism, thateven in light of the negatives (drone strikes, deportations, corporate wrist slaps) endure as hallmarks of one of the nation's greatest presidencies.
Goodridge hopes the book will appeal to younger readers as well and includes "legacy rhymes" of key milestones. Accompanying the iconic photo of Obama's first official act, he writes 'The first act that Obama signed / Was January 29, 2009 / And now in Lilly's name we say / With equal work comes equal pay.' "Imagine your child knowing not only when 'Columbus sailed the ocean blue,' but also when the nation's first African American president signed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act!" he opines.
According to Goodridge, "We've been witness to a great President whose legacy will ultimately be recognized as unmatched in US history, but you can't tune in to the six o'clock news to hear those words. We have to say them ourselves and to our children. The proof is in the public record. Don't wait for the media re-write, make this a history WE write!"
The Obama Legacy: A We-Write of the Greatest American Presidency is a full color, 150-page, 365-photo record of Obama's bill signings, town halls, tv appearances, news conferences, state of the union addresses, presidential firsts, groundbreaking nominations, baby whispering, and international trips and rockstar reception abroad in bold, photographs and behind the scenes commentary starting with 2007's "Obamania" phenomenon.
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