Gallery: Glimpses from the presidential visit to Oklahoma

OKLAHOMA CITY – Thousands of Oklahomans came out to greet President Barack Obama as he visited the Sooner State.

On Wednesday, the president visited Durant High School and the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma.

“It’s a once in a lifetime for our children and for us, probably,” said Karmon Cherry, showing off her presidential sign. “We will never probably get to experience this again.”

Durant High School hosted a meeting between the president with the Choctaw Nation, which was chosen as one of President Obama’s Promise Zones.

The Promise Zones are designed to create jobs and increase economic security by partnering local communities with businesses.

“We’ve got more work to do,” the President reminded. “Especially because the economy around the globe is changing so fast. I want to focus on one way we can prepare our kids and our workers for a changing world.”

While there, he announced the ConnectHome initiative.

Following the speech, he spent the night in downtown Oklahoma City.

On Thursday, he went to El Reno to talk with prison officials and inmates at the correctional facility.

He is calling for lawmakers to reduce unnecessarily harsh sentences, especially for non-violent drug offenders.

He will also conduct an interview for a Vice documentary that will air in the fall about the realities of our criminal justice system.

The visit to the correctional facility makes President Obama the first sitting president to visit a federal prison.

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