Former President Barack Obama announced that his grandmother has passed away at the age of 99 in Kenya.
“My family and I are mourning the loss of our beloved grandmother, Sarah Ogwel Onyango Obama, affectionately known to many as ‘Mama Sarah’ but known to us as ‘Dani’ or Granny. We will miss her dearly, but we’ll celebrate with gratitude her long and remarkable life,” Obama tweeted this morning.
He shared a picture of himself in his youth with his grandmother.
Sarah Obama was the second wife of Obama’s grandfather, and she helped raise his father, also named Barack Obama.
His grandmother attended his inauguration in 2009 as the first Black president of the United States. He spoke lovingly of her in his best-selling 1995 memoir, Dreams from My Father.
Obama wrote that he met her in 1988 when he went to Kenya for the first time. He said that while they had language barriers, they ultimately developed a closeness.
A spokesperson for the Kenyan Obamas noted that her death was not coronavirus-related.
Read More: George Floyd’s brother says trial against Chauvin should be a ‘slam dunk’
Mama Sarah, as she was known, promoted education for girls and orphans in her village, a mission similar to that of First Lady Michelle Obama. According to The Daily Mail, “The Mama Sarah Obama Foundation helped provide food and education to children who lost their parents — providing school supplies, uniforms, basic medical needs, and school fees.”
Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta issued a statement on the elders passing, saying: “The passing away of Mama Sarah is a big blow to our nation. We’ve lost a strong, virtuous woman, a matriarch who held together with the Obama family and was an icon of family values.”
Read More: Halle Berry reacts to radio host’s racist comments: ‘All Black women are beautiful’
She will be remembered for her work to promote education to empower orphans, Kisumu Governor Anyang Nyong’o said. He also offered his condolences to the people of Kogelo village for losing a matriarch.
Former President Obama traveled to Kenya with his family in 2018, where he visited with his grandmother. While she was not fully literate even as an adult, she stressed education to her village and was known for saying “If a woman gets an education, she will not only educate her family, but educate the entire village.”
Have you subscribed to theGrio’s “Dear Culture” podcast? Download our newest episodes now!
TheGrio is now on Apple TV, Amazon Fire and Roku. Download theGrio.com today!