Politics

Obama Urges Americans To Be Good Citizens In Goodbye Letter

(Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Katie Jerkovich Entertainment Reporter
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President Barack Obama urged Americans to throw themselves into “the joyous work of citizenship” in a farewell letter to Americans on the eve of Donald Trump’s inauguration.

“It’s a long-standing tradition for the sitting president of the United States to leave a parting letter in the Oval Office for the American elected to take his or her place,” Obama wrote in a lengthy post on Facebook Thursday. (RELATED: This Is The First Line Of Donald Trump’s Inauguration Speech)

U.S. President Barack Obama holds his final news conference at the White House in Washington, U.S., January 18, 2017. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque

(photo: REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque)

“It’s a letter meant to share what we know, what we’ve learned, and what small wisdom may help our successor bear the great responsibility that comes with the highest office in our land, and the leadership of the free world,” he added. “But before I leave my note for our 45th president, I wanted to say one final thank you for the honor of serving as your 44th. Because all that I’ve learned in my time in office, I’ve learned from you.”

“You made me a better President, and you made me a better man,” he continued. “Throughout these eight years, you have been the source of goodness, resilience, and hope from which I’ve pulled strength. I’ve seen neighbors and communities take care of each other during the worst economic crisis of our lifetimes.”

“I’ve seen the youngest of children remind us through their actions and through their generosity of our obligations to care for refugees, or work for peace, and, above all, to look out for each other. All of us, regardless of party, should throw ourselves into that work — the joyous work of citizenship. Not just when there’s an election, not just when our own narrow interest is at stake, but over the full span of a lifetime.”

“I’ll be right there with you every step of the way. And when the arc of progress seems slow, remember: America is not the project of any one person. The single most powerful word in our democracy is the word ‘We.’ ‘We the People.’ ‘We shall overcome.'”

“Yes, we can.”

You can read the letter in its entirety here.