Earlier this year, the Sociology Department at the Colin Powell School unearthed a memorandum bearing the signature of former President Barack Obama, written by him during his tenure as a project coordinator for the New York Public Interest Research Group (NYPIRG).
The memo was discovered by Ramatoulaye Diarra, a Sociology student and Research Assistant, while cleaning out old department files. “When I saw NYPIRG,” said Diarra, “of course I stopped. As I glanced over the memo written by the site supervisor, I saw a name and signature. It looked like Barack Obama’s signature. At first, I thought, ‘maybe this is a different Barack Obama from the one I know!’ But then I saw the second document filled out and there it was, typed and signed this time: Barack Obama.”
The memo is from 1985. Following his graduation from Columbia University, Obama went to work as a project coordinator for NYPIRG and was assigned to the City College campus. City College has long served as a nurturing ground for burgeoning community organizers, and was the place where the man who would go on to become America’s first Black President spent his formative years mentoring students in community organizing and advocacy for policy reform.
Ms. Laura Bowman, longtime Sociology Department Office Assistant, said “I feel that the finding of this letter emphasizes the legacy of the Sociology Department, the Colin Powell School and City College, in educating future champions of service and social justice.”
The memo, a significant piece of memorabilia, now sits framed and displayed in the Powell School’s Dean’s Office.
