Letter of Historical Note
Barack Obama to Sophia Bailey-Klugh
When I read these two letters between 12 year old Sophia Bailey-Klugh and Barack Obama, I was immediately struck by the tone that the former president uses when he communicates with the young girl. I often find that when adults in power try to communicate with children, it can go wrong in one of two ways. Either the adults try to talk in an overly serious, educational manner, or they diminish the children and speak to them as though they can’t understand anything. Obama wrote in a tone that I think is really good for a pre-teen to hear. He began his letter by saying that “Reading (her letter) made (him) proud to be (her) president and even more hopeful about the future of our nation.” As I said, some men in his position may be inclined to try and preach to the next generation and turn this moment into a teaching opportunity. Instead, Obama thoughtfully added some context to the situation that Sophia might not have known, and then thoughtfully answered her question. He spoke in a lighthearted, but mature tone that I think really thoughtfully responded to her letter. He begins one paragraph with “Our differences unite us. You and I are blessed to live in a country where we are born equal no matter what…” He doesn’t talk down to her or tell her how she should think or feel. Rather, he is proud of her and encourages her to stand up for herself if people say things that hurt her feelings.
Another thing that stuck out to me was the speed at which Obama responded to Sophia’s letter. Her letter is dated November 6 2012 and he responds just 4 days later on November 10. Barring the time that it took the response to be mailed, Obama responded in less than a week. This also demonstrates how much he prioritized the opinions of children in this country. He understood that they might not understand politics with the same level of detail as their parents. He knew that in their minds he was a stranger who probably didn’t mean much to them. So the fact that he went out of his way to try and create some sort of connection between himself and so many children was really kind and was probably very impactful to many children.
Overall, I was just really struck by the immense amount of thought that went into a fairly brief letter. When you really read it, you can see that this was more than just some throw away mail for the president to respond to. He clearly took time to write this letter and thought about the perspective of the person who would be receiving it. It makes me curious about other letters from children to people in power. What was the tone of the letter that they received? How did they feel when they received it? Did they even get a response at all? I am excited to read more of these letters in the future.
