Eight-year-old Amariyanna Copeny knew it was a long-shot when she wrote to President Barack Obama and asked him to visit her town of Flint, Michigan, since the devastating water crisis afflicted the city.
But the president accepted the invitation from Copeny (who is more widely known as “Little Miss Flint“) and thanked her for the letter in person. The White House posted footage of their hug on Thursday afternoon.
“I would have been happy to see Mari in Washington,” Obama said during his remarks at a Flint high school Wednesday. “But when something like this happens, a young girl shouldn’t have to go to Washington to be heard. I thought her President should come to Flint to meet with her.”
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Write to Julia Zorthian at julia.zorthian@time.com