Former President Obama took to Twitter on Friday to share a New Year’s Day message of “optimism for what’s to come,” saying that he believes “our best days are still ahead.”
“After a year that has tested us in unimaginable ways, we’ve seen how people from all walks of life have stepped up to create change to make things better,” the former Democratic president wrote.
Obama then shared an article published by The Washington Post Friday describing how a group of prison inmates pooled money together to help a high school student pay for his tuition at the private Catholic school he attended.
“And here’s a story that reminds us of the power of fresh starts, community, and the good that’s in all of us, across the country and around the world,” Obama wrote, along with a link to the Post article.
His sentiments mirrored those shared by his former vice president, President-elect Joe Biden, who tweeted Thursday evening that it is time for the nation to “unite, heal and rebuild in 2021.”
The tweets come following a year that saw more than 19 million in the U.S. infected, and 344,000 killed, from COVID-19, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.
The pandemic also fueled an economic crisis in the country, while 2020 also saw months of social unrest following the deaths of Black individuals at the hands of police, including George Floyd and Breonna Taylor.
During Biden’s 2020 campaign, Obama made several appearances in TV ads and at rallies, calling for unity and support behind Biden to prevent a second term for President Trump.
Ahead of Tuesday’s Georgia Senate runoff elections, which will determine which party controls the upper chamber, Obama has again used his platform to rally support for Democratic candidates Jon Ossoff and the Rev. Raphael Warnock.
This week, Obama was featured with singer John Legend in a new ad for Ossoff, arguing the importance of the upcoming Senate races.
“This year has tested America’s spirits. We’ve lost loved ones, faced injustice, struggled to make ends meet. But we kept at it. We looked out for each other. And when the moment came to reject fear and division and send a message for change, Georgia stepped up,” he said, referring to Biden’s victory in the Peach State, the first win for a Democratic presidential nominee there since 1992.
“Now, America is counting on you again,” Obama added, telling voters to throw their support behind Ossoff, who is running to unseat Sen. David Perdue (R).