President Barack Obama is telling the nation's oldest civil rights organization that government, families and neighborhoods must work together to improve communities during his third visit to New York City tonight.
In his third trip to the Big Apple president, Obama plans to urge young people to aspire to surpass their role models and resist the lure of mediocrity during a speech to the NAACP.
The White House tried to downplay expectations of the speech, which aides said would not introduce new programs or policy but instead strike an inspirational tone as the civil rights group gathers for its 100th annual convention.
Obama, the first black president, plans to take a restrained tone during his evening remarks instead of a raucous celebration of his history-making campaign, officials said before he flew to New York.
Obama's trip will be more restrained than trips to New York past.
The first couple visited New York for a romantic date night in May when they shared an intimate two-hour dinner at a Greenwich Village hot spot and spent the rest of the evening captivated by a Broadway show. Michelle Obama stepped out for a night on the town in a sleeveless black dress. Obama wore a dark suit with no tie.
Their visit created a buzz in the city that spawned the term the "Obama effect" after businesses visited by the president and first lady saw a boost in sales.
