It’s June 1989. Lawyer, administrator, and writer Michelle Lavaughn Robinson met lawyer and teacher Barack Hussein Obama II. The romance did not take long to emerge and in just over three years, in October 1992, the couple married. A new family that, with mutual respect, admiration, and joint work, managed to make history.
17 years after of said ‘yes, I accept’, Barack Obama was chosen as the 44th President of the United States, thus becoming the first African American to hold office. Michelle, for her part, obtained the same recognition as the first African-American woman to become the first lady. On January 20, 2017, both stopped exercising their functions to deliver the post to Donald Trump and her wife, Melania.
Peru in the mouth of the Obamas
But, what do Obama spouses have to do with Peru? In a campaign to promote reading, Barack and Michelle recommended “The Word Collector”, a pedagogical book that was developed by Canadian writer and illustrator Peter H. Reynolds.
The protagonist of the book is Jerome, a boy who, unlike the rest of his classmates, does not collect coins, rocks, comics, insects or baseball cards. Jerome is happy learning (and collecting) new words. In one of the first passages of this children’s book, Michelle Obama reads a sentence through her husband’s Twitter account in which she mentions Peru.
“My trip to Peru was perfectly pleasant,” says one of the characters who carry a suitcase with the Peruvian flag and the logo of the Peru Brand. Jerome, fascinated and paying close attention, transcribes the word Peru.
Connecting Peru with a pleasant trip is not at all fictitious. Because in the Inca country you find adventure, history in every corner, ancient culture and unique biodiversity. It is not a coincidence, then, that two such transcendental characters mention Peru within a campaign that seeks to encourage the habit of reading.
“I remember my first trip to the library. I was around age four. My library card was a key that unlocked a world of knowledge and experiences”, said Michelle Obama. “Public libraries are essential institutions. It will give families one more chance to explore their interests, learn and engage with their communities”, said Barack Obama. The full video can be found in the following video posted on Twitter.
Sources: Twitter, Perú Info