10 great places to explore Barack Obama’s legacy

Although barely out of office, there’s a growing wave of nostalgia for the nation’s first African-American president. “Historically (Barack Obama) means a lot to a lot of people,” says Christina M. Greer, a Fordham University associate professor and author of Black Ethnics: Race, Immigration, and the Pursuit of the American Dream (Oxford University Press, $29.95). “People are missing him.” In honor of Black History Month, she shares with Larry Bleiberg for USA TODAY sites to connect with Barack Obama’s legacy.

Selma, Ala.

While Obama visited as a candidate, Greer says his return to the civil rights site in 2015 on the 50th anniversary of the Bloody Sunday bridge crossing was particularly notable. His speech that day has been hailed as one of the best of his presidency. “His physical presence meant so much to older black voters who never thought they’d see a black president.” alabama.travel

Columbia University, New York

Obama’s world expanded in 1981 when he arrived at Columbia as a transfer student, settling into an off-campus walk-up apartment at 142 West 109th Street. “It was his first time living on the East Coast. It was really a transformational experience,” Greer says. He spent hours in the university’s Butler Library, ate at Tom’s Restaurant, a diner familiar from the Seinfeld TV show, and explored Harlem. nycgo.com

Des Moines

Obama’s presidential campaign took off after winning the Iowa caucuses in 2008. “It is what put him on the map. People started thinking, ‘Maybe there’s something to this guy. He’s winning a super, super, white state’,” Greer says. Obama has seen plenty of Des Moines from restaurants like Jethro’s BBQ, to the state fair, to the airport Hampton Inn, where he liked to stay because he thought it brought him good luck. catchdesmoines.com

Martha’s Vineyard, Mass.

The Obamas spent summer vacations in the Oak Bluffs area of the New England island, which has been popular with African-American professionals and their families for decades. “I grew up going to the Vineyard as a kid,” Greer says. “It was a place people could go and vacation without any drama, and relax.” Summer visitors can swing by Nancy’s Restaurant and Snack Bar for seafood, where the Obamas’ youngest daughter Sasha worked last summer. mvy.com

Havana

One of Obama’s legacies will be normalizing relations with the Communist nation, which he visited with his family last year. “He did something that nine other presidents couldn’t do,” Greer says. Travelers can follow the Obamas’ footsteps, catching a baseball game, strolling Old Havana and staying in the Melia Habana hotel. cubatravel.tur.cu

Chicago

The eventual home for Obama’s presidential library, Chicago is where he launched his political career and met his wife, Michelle. An Obama visit should focus on the city’s South Side, Greer says. “That’s where they built their community, which they leaned on as a young married couple, where they started a family.” Among many stops, there’s the University of Chicago, where he taught law, and the plaque at Dorchester and East 53rd Street, marking the spot where the couple shared their first kiss.choosechicago.com

Oahu, Hawaii

Obama was born in the 50th state, which shaped his worldview, Greer said. “You’re technically in the United States, but it feels different. It has a majority non-white population,” she says. Obama lived in the downtown Honolulu Makiki neighborhood and attended the Punahou School. Notable stops include Sandy Beach, where Obama swam as a child, and nearby Halona Blowhole, where his mother’s ashes were scattered. obamasneighborhood.com

Washington, D.C.

Obama made history when he moved into the White House in 2009, but his mark was felt across the heavily African-American city. “It’s the first time they had a president that looked like them, and that meant a lot,” Greer says. The Obamas patronized local restaurants, including several owned by local chef José Andrés, and shopped at places like Politics and Prose bookstore. The family is now living in the city’s tony Kalorama neighborhood until Sasha, 15, graduates from Sidwell Friends School. washington.org

Nairobi, Kenya

In 2015, Obama visited his late father’s home country, sparking excitement where “a lot of people thought of Barack Obama as their president,” Greer says. He stayed in the country’s capital, but on an earlier trip journeyed to Kogelo, Baraka Obama Sr.’s ancestral village, where two schools are now named after the former president. magicalkenya.com

Jakarta, Indonesia

Obama lived in the Asian country as a child, which made a profound impression on him, Greer says. "Where you grow up and spend time as a child really does make a difference on who you are." While Obama barely recognized the metropolis when he revisited in 2010, the Besuki primary school he attended has a statue of its former student, shown as a 10-year-old boy. indonesia.travel