As 2018 approaches, there are certainly corners of the globe cheering 2017’s end.
In the U.S. especially, the past 12 months has felt—to some Americans, at least—like a roller coaster of crises. But former U.S. president Barack Obama sought to remind his nearly 100 million Twitter followers on Friday that hey, 2017 wasn’t all bad.
President Donald Trump’s predecessor took to the social media platform in an effort to counter “all the bad news that seemed to dominate our collective consciousness” in the past year.
“[T]here are countless stories from this year that remind us what’s best about America,” Obama tweeted. He proceeded to post three news articles with feel-good narratives.
Kat Creech, a wedding planner in Houston, turned a postponed wedding into a volunteer opportunity for Hurricane Harvey victims. Thirty wedding guests became an organization of hundreds of volunteers. That’s a story from 2017. https://t.co/yxhjwkr5Se
— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) December 29, 2017
Another story was about Philadelphia Eagles defensive end Chris Long, who donated the salary he earned in the first six games of the season to fund scholarships for students in Charlottesville, Va., his hometown.
Chris Long gave his paychecks from the first six games of the NFL season to fund scholarships in Charlottesville, VA. He wanted to do more, so he decided to give away an entire season’s salary. That’s a story from 2017. https://t.co/NL0RoARkan
— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) December 29, 2017
Jahkil Jackson, 10, featured in a third story tweeted out by Obama. Jackson has created kits of supplies—socks, toiletries, food—for homeless people in Chicago.
Ten-year-old Jahkil Jackson is on a mission to help homeless people in Chicago. He created kits full of socks, toiletries, and food for those in need. Just this week, Jahkil reached his goal to give away 5,000 “blessing bags.” That’s a story from 2017. https://t.co/muxPZnEGkd
— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) December 29, 2017
Obama, who dominated Twitter’s 2017 list of most popular tweets, wrapped up the thread in trademark fashion: with a call for even more change.
All across America people chose to get involved, get engaged and stand up. Each of us can make a difference, and all of us ought to try. So go keep changing the world in 2018.
— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) December 29, 2017
“All across America people chose to get involved, get engaged and stand up,” he tweeted. “Each of us can make a difference, and all of us ought to try.”