doi:10.7916/m1w3-vz93Oral history interview with Fatou Ba Ndiour, 2022Ba Ndiour, Fatouoral historiesmixed materialPresidents--Correspondence.--United StatesGun control--United StatesViolent crimes--United StatesRacism--United StatesMinorities--United StatesUnited States Foreign relations AfricaAfrica Foreign relations United StatesBa Ndiour, FatouObama, BarackYoung African Leaders InitiativeFatou Ba Ndiour reflects on her experience as a Mandela Washington fellow in the 2015 cohort of the Obama administration's Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI), and discusses the letter she wrote to President Obama during her time in Washington, D.C. Ba Ndiour recounts her upbringing in Dakar and education in Senegal and France, and describes the process by which she learned about the YALI program and was selected as a fellow. She speaks widely about her experience of inequality, race, and racism in the United States, and shares details about the letter she wrote to Obama about the program, including her call for the administration to send young American leaders to Africa in a spirit of humility and reciprocity. Ba Ndiour also considers the significance of the YALI network, its impact on her career trajectory, and the significance of Obama's direct acknowledgment of her letter and support of its recommendations in his town hall meeting with the Mandela fellows in August 2015. Ba Ndiour also discusses gun violence and her fear for her safety in the United States, Obama's connection to the African continent, and her memories of Obama's election in 2008