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Obama Posts Comment On 'Humans Of New York' Photo Of Iranian Father And Son

1:02pm September 04, 2015

by Laura Wagner

President Obama took to Facebook Thursday night to comment on a photo of an Iranian father and son posted by the popular photography blog Humans of New York.

The blog, which began in 2010 as a series of portraits of people on the streets of The Big Apple, has become something of a global phenomenon. Creator Brandon Stanton has recently been in Iran, sharing images and stories of people and life there.

It was one of these photos that prompted the president's comment. Posting from the official White House Facebook account, Obama said the story of the father and his humanitarian-minded, 10-year-old son in the town of Tabriz resonated with him personally. He wrote:

"What an inspirational story. One of the most fulfilling things that can happen to you as a parent is to see the values you've worked to instill in your kids start to manifest themselves in their actions — and this one really resonated with me. I hope this young man never loses his desire to help others. And I'm going to continue doing whatever I can to make this world a place where he and every young person like him can live up to their full potential. (And if I ever get to meet him, I hope he'll save me an apricot!) -bo"

The comment had received more than 120,000 "likes" as of Friday afternoon. The photo itself had been liked by nearly half a million people.

“Today's his tenth birthday. He's a very emotional young man. He likes to solve other people's problems. One time...
Posted by Humans of New York on Thursday, September 3, 2015

Obama's Facebook comment, which comes amid his push to generate support for the Iranian nuclear deal, is the most recent example of Obama capitalizing on social media to connect with constituents. From reading #MeanTweets about himself on Jimmy Kimmel Live to posting a selfie with Bear Grylls on Instagram during his trip to Alaska this week, Obama's social media use gives the public a look at the president's lighter side.

In fact, this Humans of New York interaction wasn't Obama's first. In February, he invited a school principal and a student from Brownsville, N.Y., — who had been featured on the photo blog — to the White House. The student had credited the principal with being the biggest influence in his life, and the post went viral. That post not only led to the White House visit, it also sparked a fundraising campaign that raised more than $1 million for a scholarship program for students at the school.

On January 19th, I met a young man on the street named Vidal, and I asked him to tell me about the person who had influenced him the most in his life. He told me about his principal, Ms. Lopez, and he explained how she had taught him that he mattered. Over the next two weeks, I learned the story of Ms. Lopez and her school, Mott Hall Bridges Academy. By hearing the stories of MHBA students and educators, my eyes were opened to the unique challenges facing a school in an under-served community. Ms. Lopez taught me that before a student is ready for academic training, they must be made to understand that they deserve success. And that can be the hardest battle in education. Ms. Lopez always said that there was no place her students did not belong. Recently we received an invitation that proved just that.

A photo posted by Humans of New York (@humansofny) on Feb 5, 2015 at 1:42pm PST

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