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Showing posts with the label Sandy Hook

Statement by the President on the Passing of Poet Laureate Ms. Maya Angelou

The First Family remarks on the passing of American novelist and poet, Dr. Maya Angelou today.  In his remarks President Obama writes: When her friend Nelson Mandela passed away last year, Maya Angelou wrote that “No sun outlasts its sunset, but will rise again, and bring the dawn.” Today, Michelle and I join millions around the world in remembering one of the brightest lights of our time – a brilliant writer, a fierce friend, and a truly phenomenal woman . Over the course of her remarkable life, Maya was many things – an author, poet, civil rights activist, playwright, actress, director, composer, singer and dancer. But above all, she was a storyteller – and her greatest stories were true. A childhood of suffering and abuse actually drove her to stop speaking – but the voice she found helped generations of Americans find their rainbow amidst the clouds, and inspired the rest of us to be our best selves. In fact, she inspired my own mother to name my sister Maya. Like so m...

Sandy Hook One Year Later

The 'Cute Little School' It's been a year (December 14, 2012) since Adam Lanza killed 20 first-graders and six adults at the Sandy Hook elementary school in Newtown, Connecticut. Lanza simply walked in, aimed at his target and started shooting, despite the school's security features outlined in reports.  President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama light candles for Sandy Hook elementary school victims. Since that particular school shooting, the Obama administration has openly shed a tear for the victims, legislated funds to help people with mental health issues , and has lobbied Congress in an attempt to change the current gun control laws, starting with increased background checks. President Obama and First Lady Michelle celebrated the one-year anniversary with a candle-lighting memorial in the Map Room. Twenty-six candles, one for each Sandy Hook elementary school victim. The pair then paused in a moment of silence lasting around six...