What’s Next for the Obamas?

Now that the Obamas are leaving the White House, they’re heading into the next chapters of their lives. What’s next for the First Family?

President Barack Obama is joining a very exclusive club, one that only has four living members. He is about to become the newest member of the Ex-Presidents Club, sitting at the proverbial table with Jimmy Carter, George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, and George W. Bush. But at 55 years of age, Barack Obama is far from retiring. He has plenty of working years ahead of him, and he happens to have a pretty impressive resume.

So what job will he take on next? If he decides to follow the same path that other former presidents have taken, President Barack Obama could take the public speaking route. George W. Bush has made over 200 public appearances and paid speeches since he left office in 2009. His father, George W. Bush, has chosen a more private life, staying active in his local community and volunteering at churches and hospitals. Bill Clinton has also done his share of public speaking, along with writing books and hitting the campaign trail for several Democrats including his wife, Hillary Clinton. But when it comes to making the most out of post-presidency life, Jimmy Carter is the leader of the pack. President Carter has been a champion of various human rights causes, he’s worked with Habitat for Humanity, and he founded the Carter Presidential Center at Emory University in Atlanta. In addition to his humanitarian work, Jimmy Carter has also written several books and continues to teach occasional Sunday School sessions in his hometown of Plains, Georgia. (On a personal note, I had the opportunity to attend one of these sessions at Maranatha Baptist Church on the Sunday after the election. It’s a pleasure to listen to President Carter speak. He is a brilliant, compassionate, and genuine person.)

President Barack Obama seems poised to follow in Carter’s footsteps. Throughout his two terms in office, Obama has made it clear that he cares about the people — not just Americans, but people from around the world. The odds are high that he will continue to work as a humanitarian in a capacity that doesn’t hold all of the restrictions that being POTUS placed upon him. He will have more freedom to express his opinions, share his beliefs, and take action. He’s also going to have the ability to choose which issues and causes he wants to put his energy into. During his two terms in office, he had to work on everything from climate change to gun control, healthcare reform to same-sex marriage. Once he’s no longer President, he no longer has to worry about being all things to all people.

In order to get a better idea of where Barack Obama may be heading, let’s take a look at where he’s been. Before he was elected as our nation’s 44th President, Barack Obama was a United States Senator representing the State of Illinois. His election to the U.S. Senate came after he’d spent eight years in the Illinois Senate. He began his political career as a community organizer in Chicago’s south side after earning degrees from Columbia University and Harvard Law School. He’s got a strong background in civil rights and law thanks to his positions at a civil rights law firm, as director of Illinois Project Vote, and a lecturer at the University of Chicago Law School. During his time in the Senate, Obama focused on issues relating to children, the elderly, and the poor. While he was in the Oval Office, he also took an interest in issues concerning immigrants and refugees as well as the LGBTQ community. And, in spite of what his critics believe, he has also proven time and time again that his goal is to unite rather than divide. All signs point to a future in humanitarian causes for Barack Obama.

Taking into consideration the fact that First Lady Michelle Obama has similar interests and a similar background, there’s a strong chance that the Obamas will work together as a team. They may even take a cue from the Clintons and form a foundation to manage their collective work for various causes and charities. (Update: There is an Obama Foundation! According to the website at Obama.org, it’s “a living, working start-up for citizenship — an ongoing project for us to shape, together, what it means to be a good citizen in the 21st century.”) Although Michelle Obama also has a background in law — she graduated from Harvard Law and met her husband at the law firm of Sidley Austin where they both worked — she’s gravitated towards certain causes during her time as First Lady. Above all else, Michelle Obama has taken an interest in children. She’s been active in advocating for healthier school lunches and more physical activity for kids through her “Let’s Move!” initiative. She has also been a strong supporter of education and has advocated for women’s issues including fair pay and support for military spouses and families. She is adored around the globe, and she’s been included on lists like “25 of the World’s Most Inspiring Women” (Essence magazine) and “10 of the World’s Best Dressed People” (Vanity Fair). During the latter part of the 2016 election, she campaigned for Hillary Clinton, and her speeches were so inspirational that many placed their hopes on a “Michelle Obama in 2020” presidential campaign.

Unfortunately, that’s not going to happen. According to her husband, “There are three things that are certain in life: death, taxes, and Michelle is not running for president. That I can tell you.” But a political or business partnership between Barack and Michelle Obama would be a welcomed alternative. It would be made even better if their daughters, Malia and Sasha, were to join their efforts.

The Obama girls will soon become Obama women, and they both have bright futures ahead of them. The elder daughter, Malia, took a gap year after her high school graduation before beginning her studies at Harvard University. She has spent the past three summers working, first at television studios while she was in high school and then at the U.S. Embassy in Madrid the summer after graduation. The Obama’s youngest daughter, Sasha, is still in high school. Showing that she’s inherited the same strong work ethic as her older sister and her parents, Sasha took a job at a seafood restaurant last summer. Both daughters have joined their parents on their business trips around the world. When Michelle Obama traveled to Liberia, Morocco, and Spain to promote “Let Girls Learn Peace,” Malia and Sasha joined their mother and grandmother. Perhaps Malia’s work experience in television could lead her to a career as a journalist, similar to that of other former First Daughters like Jenna Bush Hager and Chelsea Clinton. Maybe Malia and Sasha’s interests in their parents’ work could inspire them to pursue careers in the nonprofit sector or activism, similar to the paths chosen by Barbara Bush and Amy Carter.

Related Story: President Obama’s Farewell Address Was What We Needed

Regardless of what lies ahead for the Obamas, we all stand to benefit from the legacy that they’ve left behind. Thanks to President Barack Obama, millions of Americans now have health insurance (at least until the callous, misguided GOP-led Congress takes it away.) The American economy has improved and the unemployment rate has fallen. He revamped and improved policies on issues ranging from climate change to education. Gay men and women can now serve in the military and marry the person they love. Carbon emissions have dropped and the use of solar energy has increased. And he accomplished this while facing a Republican Congress that fought him every step of the way, like a pack of petulant adolescents determined to do the exact opposite of what their new stepfather asks them to do.