Letters to Obama

Anne Cardenas

Explore the experiences of the White House staffers who read and responded to mail on behalf of President Obama.

 

This installation is a part of INTER\VIEWS: an inter\active oral history exhibition, showcasing multimedia projects and stories recorded by the 2018-2019 cohort of Columbia University’s Oral History MA program. Register here!

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The White House Office of Presidential Correspondence (OPC) receives and responds to mail on behalf of the President. In “Letters to Obama” you’ll hear the stories of OPC staffers and their experiences reading the letters everyday Americans wrote to President Obama. 

The White House Office of Presidential Correspondence (OPC) receives and responds to mail on behalf of the President. In these clips you’ll hear the stories of OPC staffers and their experiences reading the letters everyday Americans wrote to President Obama. 1)What is OPC? Galen Main describes what she knew about the Office of Presidential Correspondence, before she started working there in 2010. 2) First 10LADs Rico Gardaphe shares the story of the first 10LADs (10 Letters a Day). 3) Coding Carolyn Hull explains the process of coding and the OPC analyst number tradition. 4) Cries for Help OPC staffers often read letters from people needing help and Sean Grady explains the process of reading and responding to those letter writers. 5) Greetings Sarah Sibley describes the Greetings department, as well as the many volunteers who worked there. 6) The Vault The Gifts office in OPC dealt with all items and money sent to the First Family. Carolyn Hull describes the Gifts office and vault where the rows and rows of gifts were processed before being sent to the National Archives for storage. 7) Procs Sarah Sibley describes her time writing Presidential proclamations as a writer in OPC. 8) 10LADs Sean Grady describes the types of letters often submitted as 10Lads to President Obama. 9) Goldstars Families who have lost a loved one while serving in the armed forces are known as Goldstar Families. Galen Main shares her experiences drafting letters to these families. 10) OPC Life Sarah Sibley describes a typical day in OPC and the comradery that formed between the staffers.


Anne Cardenas is a current OHMA student interviewing 2008 Obama Campaign staffers about their experiences and reflections a decade after the historic election. A proud Obama Administration alum herself, Anne worked in the White House Office of Presidential Correspondence and the Department of Homeland Security before moving to New York in 2016 to work for VICE Media and later, the UN Development Programme.