Author and activist Alice Walker took a moment last week to write a note to Barack Obama, relaying a few requests and offering some advice, such as to find time to relax amid the challenges and changes that await him and his family.

Media with Conscience:

I would advise you to remember that you did not create the disaster that the world is experiencing, and you alone are not responsible for bringing the world back to balance. A primary responsibility that you do have, however, is to cultivate happiness in your own life. To make a schedule that permits sufficient time of rest and play with your gorgeous wife and lovely daughters. And so on. One gathers that your family is large.

We are used to seeing men in the White House soon become juiceless and as white-haired as the building; we notice their wives and children looking strained and stressed. They soon have smiles so lacking in joy that they remind us of scissors. This is no way to lead. Nor does your family deserve this fate.

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#african american#alice walker#barack obama#family#michelle obama#novel#president#white house#writing