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Dustin Luca
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SALEM, MASS. – President Barack Obama joined Pulitzer Prize-winning historian and author Doris Kearns Goodwin before a capacity audience at Salem State University Monday night for a wide-ranging conversation exploring everything from the president’s speech before the Democratic National Convention in 2004 to supporting the next generation of leaders.
The university hosted President Obama on Monday, Sept. 21 for “A Conversation with President Barack Obama,” an evening that marked one of the most significant events in the more than four-decade history of the Salem State Series. The sold-out event brought together students, employees, alumni and members of the broader community for a discussion that made for a memorable Monday night on campus.
“It’s great to be back in Massachusetts,” President Obama said to open the evening. “It’s fun to be in Salem… Flying over, the moon was out, the boats were still in the harbor, and it was just spectacular. I owe this state a lot, owe the people here a lot, and it’s always wonderful to come back.”
Before President Obama and Goodwin began their conversation, university President John Keenan welcomed the audience and reflected on the importance of creating opportunities for thoughtful dialogue across differences.
“As the Commonwealth’s Civic Engagement University, Salem State is proud to foster thoughtful dialogue, civic engagement and leadership,” Keenan said at the opening of the evening. “While this year has brought many significant milestones to our nation and our university, it has also presented challenges that remind us how important it is to listen to one another and engage in open and respectful dialogue.
“That is why,” Keenan said, “it is a tremendous honor to welcome the 44th president of the United States, Barack Obama, who has championed public service, civic participation, and the power of bringing people together.”
The hour-long program was witnessed by 3,600 audience members in Salem State’s O’Keefe Sports Complex and hundreds more university students, faculty and staff in a satellite viewing location in the Sophia Gordon Center for Creative and Performing Arts.
Throughout the program, Goodwin alluded to President Obama’s messages of hope during his initial campaign and presidency, and the need for that hope to continue. President Obama countered at one point, emphasizing that things aren’t as broken as they may seem.
“Today, we are rife with divisions, and our democracy seems broken in so many ways—and the tenor and tone of the times feel mean-spirited,” President Obama said. “We’ve gone through times like this before. I believe we can get out of them. And when I travel around the country today, or I work with the young people I work with who come from all across the country, through the foundation, what you discover is we aren’t as divided as we seem at the ground level.”
“We’re not as divided as our politics or our media would indicate,” President Obama continued. “The loud, noisy, polarized dialogue is in part manufactured for a variety of interests. When you get on the ground, it turns out people are still treating each other decently and with respect, and the progress on civil rights or women’s rights, or LGBTQ rights have not been reversed. In most places, the vast majority of people believe in those things.”
Founded in 1982 by the Salem State University Alumni Association and Foundation, Inc., the Salem State Series has brought more than 100 nationally and internationally recognized leaders, artists, athletes, and other public figures to the university’s North Shore campus. President Obama’s appearance represents one of the most significant events in the Series’ history. The event also kicks off the Alumni Association and Foundation’s 50th anniversary, being celebrated throughout this academic year following its founding in 1977.
To close the event, Goodwin continued the Salem State Series tradition of asking the current speaker who the next speaker should be.
“At some point, you should probably get Michelle, because she’s better than I am,” President Obama said, referencing his wife, former First Lady Michelle Obama, to an eruption of cheers. “I’m very big right now on getting folks who are younger than me—getting younger voices out there, giving them platforms is really important.”