Lena Hall

From West Africa to Washington: a President's Notes Lena Hall

Following a rather brutal press conference, African American President of the United States Kwame wonders if he did the right thing in running for office. His opponents had an easy time picking him apart, even though he was new to Washington. They said he spent the taxpayers' money in frivolous ways; they said he was overexposed. But he was simply sticking to his election platform. His opponents-and supporters-knew who he was when he was elected. Why were they surprised by his actions now that he lived in the White House? That day in his office, Kwame remembers something his mother used to say to him: "When you have questions, you must go back to the beginning." So begins Kwame's metaphorical journey into the history of his people. It begins back in Africa, where Kwame is sold into slavery and then sent to the Americas. From there, Kwame watches the emancipation of the slaves. He lives through the Civil Rights movement, before finally becoming the president of the United States. In order to make sense of his present, Kwame must look at the past and learn from those who came before. To serve his people, he must transcend time. Filled with friendships, loyalties, and infidelities, A President's Notes of a Metaphorical Journey follows Kwame and his friends as they live through their collective history and discover that within this journey lives the history of an entire nation.