I salute great Black men and women past and present and future who have from all works of life made history in various ways and many will continue to do so. Teasing the story later in the show, fill-in co-host Willie Geist hyped: “This 106-year-old woman’s priceless reaction to meeting the President and the First Lady”.
Advertisement
That petition led to a community Facebook page that appears to have been set up by neighbours and friends, and a YouTube channel in which McLaurin repeats her request to meet with Obama.
At the White House, the Obamas and McLaurin held hands and playfully danced before posing for a photo. “I want to be like you when I grow up”. “The sheer scale of everything is remarkable, and the people could not have been more gracious and wonderful”.
“What’s the secret to still dancing at one-oh-six?” he asked McLaurin as she danced hand-in-hand with Michelle.
“Slow down, now!” Obama tells the diminutive McLaurin as she bustles over to give the first lady an embrace.
“I thought I would never live to get in the White House”, she said. Black History Month is celebrated every February, and it recognizes the contributions African-Americans make to the world.
VIRGINIA MCLAURIN: Just keep moving.
This introduction has been a long time coming for McLaurin, a SC native who was born in 1906. Over the decades, the centenarian has witnessed the election of 18 presidents.
Fostering economic growth and combating climate change are not “either-or” options, Obama said, speaking at the National Governors Association reception at the White House.
The video has more than 25 million views on Facebook.
“I’ve never met a president”.
“I didn’t think I would live to see a Colored President”, she wrote.
However, she told the The Washington Post she is not bitter: “I have nothing to do but be happy”.
McLaurin said she was filled with pride when Obama became the nation’s first African-American president in 2008. When they announced her name she squealed with excitement before bopping up and down.
Advertisement
“You have just made our day, you know that?”
