February 22, 2016

106-Year-Old Woman Dances With the Obamas After Fulfilling Her Dream to Visit White House


106-year-old Virginia McLaurin had always dreamed of visiting the White House, and last week she finally got her chance. 

“It’s an honor!” McLaurin told Obama, with both of her arms raised in excitement as she met the president. The moment was captured in a heartwarming video shared by the White House.

As McLaurin made her way to be introduced to the first lady, Obama can be heard jokingly telling her to “slow down.” As the three embraced each other, the group spontaneously started to dance with joy.

“I want to be like you when I grow up!” Michelle said.

“You can!” McLaurin replied.

Dance Party with 106-year-old Virginia McLaurin

What’s the secret to still dancing at 106? Watch 106-year-old Virginia McLaurin fulfill her dream of visiting the White House and meeting President Obama. #BlackHistoryMonth

Posted by The White House on Sunday, February 21, 2016

McLaurin launched a social media campaign over a year ago to help fulfill her lifelong goal to visit 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue and meet the Obamas. Her visit was perfectly timed for Black History Month.

“I never thought I’d live to see a colored president,” she said in a YouTube video posted in 2014. “I’m so happy.”

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WHO DOESN’T LOVE A POSITIVE STORY—OR TWO?

“Great journalism really does make a difference in this world: it can even save kids.”

That’s what a civil rights lawyer wrote to Julia Lurie, the day after her major investigation into a psychiatric hospital chain that uses foster children as “cash cows” published, letting her know he was using her findings that same day in a hearing to keep a child out of one of the facilities we investigated.

That’s awesome. As is the fact that Julia, who spent a full year reporting this challenging story, promptly heard from a Senate committee that will use her work in their own investigation of Universal Health Services. There’s no doubt her revelations will continue to have a big impact in the months and years to come.

Like another story about Mother Jones’ real-world impact.

This one, a multiyear investigation, published in 2021, exposed conditions in sugar work camps in the Dominican Republic owned by Central Romana—the conglomerate behind brands like C&H and Domino, whose product ends up in our Hershey bars and other sweets. A year ago, the Biden administration banned sugar imports from Central Romana. And just recently, we learned of a previously undisclosed investigation from the Department of Homeland Security, looking into working conditions at Central Romana. How big of a deal is this?

“This could be the first time a corporation would be held criminally liable for forced labor in their own supply chains,” according to a retired special agent we talked to.

Wow.

And it is only because Mother Jones is funded primarily by donations from readers that we can mount ambitious, yearlong—or more—investigations like these two stories that are making waves.

About that: It’s unfathomably hard in the news business right now, and we came up about $28,000 short during our recent fall fundraising campaign. We simply have to make that up soon to avoid falling further behind than can be made up for, or needing to somehow trim $1 million from our budget, like happened last year.

If you can, please support the reporting you get from Mother Jones—that exists to make a difference, not a profit—with a donation of any amount today. We need more donations than normal to come in from this specific blurb to help close our funding gap before it gets any bigger.

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