107-year-old: 'Nothing but the Greatest!' Day

Ann Nixon Cooper is 107 and lives in Atlanta. As she watched the inauguration yesterday, she said,"This moment in history marks one of the greatest days of her event-filled life." I can't even begin to imagine. Her grandson was with her too and said "he was proud to share this moment with his grandmother. 'She's gone from oil lamps ... to cell phones, from horse and buggies to spaceships. She's seen it all.'"

At the end of the speech, Jeff Cooper [another grandson] hugged her and kissed her cheek. "Grandma, how does it feel to have a black president?"

"I'm so happy," she said.

She said she remembers the days when she couldn't vote and was subjected to racial slurs and injustices. "There was a time when they thought they could just kick us around," she said. "Now, it has changed."

In Obama's victory speech in November, he praised Cooper's fight. "She was born just a generation past slavery; a time when there were no cars on the road or planes in the sky; when someone like her couldn't vote for two reasons -- because she was a woman and because of the color of her skin. (from CNN)"

Amazing. This woman has lived a long and fruitful life - she even knew Martin Luther King, Jr. when he was a boy! She also co-founded a Girls Club for African-American youth and taught community residents to read in a tutoring program at Ebenezer Baptist Church, where King preached. Read about her here.

You can also watch her:

Kids' Letters to President Obama

Amidst all of the inauguration coverage the last few days, this story was a hidden gem.

One of my favorite independent publisher's, McSweeney's, released a great book today Thanks and Have Fun Running the Country: Kids' Letters to President Obama. The title is self-explanatory - "A few days after the election of Barack Obama, kids around the country were asked to provide advice and guidance to their new president."

The letters are funny, sincere, surprising...and a joy to read. The New York Times recently reprinted some of the letters. Here is a sampling:

Dear Sir Obama,

These are the first 10 things you should do as president:

1. Make everyone read books.
2. Don’t let teachers give kids hard homework.
3. Make a law where kids only get one page of homework per week.
4. Kids can go visit you whenever they want.
5. Make volunteer tutors get paid.
6. Let the tutors do all the thinking.
7. Make universities free.
8. Make students get extra credit for everything.
9. Give teachers raises.
10. If No. 4 is approved, let kids visit the Oval Office, but don’t make it boring.

— Mireya Perez, age 8, San Francisco

Dear President/Mr. Obama,

The best thing about living in the White House would be running around like a maniac. The thing I would like least is the work.

— Holly Wong, age 9, San Francisco

Dear President Obama,

Here is a list of the first 10 things you should do as president:

1. Fly to the White House in a helicopter.
2. Walk in.
3. Wipe feet.
4. Walk to the Oval Office.
5. Sit down in a chair.
6. Put hand-sanitizer on hands.
7. Enjoy moment.
8. Get up.
9. Get in car.
10. Go to the dog pound.

— Chandler Browne, age 12, Chicago

Dear President Obama,

If I were president, I would tell people to not talk too much. It wastes time. I’d also say to war: no more, no more, no more!

— Catherine Galvan, age 6, Chicago

Dear Pres. Obama,

Good job on winning. I heard about Area 51. I wanted to ask you if there are any U.F.O.’s there. I think that you should tell people in public the truth about Area 51. You would just maybe say, “That we will take care of it.” And do it.

— Edwin Jara, age 9, New York

Dear President Obama,

Could you help my family to get housecleaning jobs? I hope you will be a great president. If I were president, I would help all nations, even Hawaii. President Obama, I think you could help the world.

— Chad Timsing, age 9, Los Angeles

> Read More - Including Photos of the Letters & Multimedia (Drawings)