Barack Obama

Barack Hussein Obama was born Aug. 4,1961, inHonolulu, Hawaii. His father, Barack Obama, Sr., was born ofLuo ethnicity inNyanza Province, Kenya. Hegrew upherding goats with his own father, who was adomestic servant tothe British. Although reared among Muslims, Obama, Sr., became anatheist atsome point.
Obama’smother, Ann Dunham, grew upinWichita, Kansas. Her father worked onoil rigs during the Depression. After the Japanese attack onPearl Harbor, hesigned upfor service inWorld War IIand marched across Europe inPatton’sarmy. Dunham’smother went towork onabomber assembly line. After the war, they studied onthe G.I.Bill, bought ahouse through the Federal Housing Program, and moved toHawaii.Meantime, Barack’sfather had won ascholarship that allowed him toleave Kenya pursue his dreams inHawaii. Atthe time ofhis birth, Obama’sparents were students atthe East–West Center ofthe University ofHawaii atManoa.Obama’sparents separated when hewas two years old and later divorced. Obama’sfather went toHarvard topursue Ph.D. studies and then returned toKenya.His mother married Lolo Soetoro, another East–West Center student from Indonesia. In1967, the family moved toJakarta, where Obama’shalf-sister Maya Soetoro–Ng was born. Obama attended schools inJakarta, where classes were taught inthe Indonesian language.Four years later when Barack (commonly known throughout his early years as"Barry") was ten, hereturned toHawaii tolive with his maternal grandparents, Madelyn and Stanley Dunham, and later his mother (who died ofovarian cancer in1995).Hewas enrolled inthe fifth grade atthe esteemed Punahou Academy, graduating with honors in1979. Hewas only one ofthree black students atthe school. This iswhere Obama first became conscious ofracism and what itmeant tobeanAfrican–American.Inhis memoir, Obama described how hestruggled toreconcile social perceptions ofhis multiracial heritage. Hesaw his biological father (who died ina1982car accident) only once (in1971) after his parents divorced. And headmitted using alcohol, marijuana and cocaine during his teenage years.After high school, Obama studied atOccidental College inLos Angeles for two years. Hethen transferred toColumbia University inNew York, graduating in1983with adegree inpolitical science.After working atBusiness International Corporation (acompany that provided international business information tocorporate clients) and NYPIRG, Obama moved toChicago in1985. There, heworked asacommunity organizer with low-income residents inChicago’sRoseland community and the Altgeld Gardens public housing development onthe city’sSouth Side.Itwas during this time that Obama, who said he"was not raised inareligious household," joined the Trinity United Church ofChrist. Healso visited relatives inKenya, which included anemotional visit tothe graves ofhis father and paternal grandfather.Obama entered Harvard Law School in1988. InFebruary 1990, hewas elected the first African–American editor ofthe Harvard Law Review. Obama graduated magna cum laude in1991.After law school, Obama returned toChicago topractice asacivil rights lawyer, joining the firm ofMiner, Barnhill & Galland. Healso taught atthe University ofChicago Law School. And hehelped organize voter registration drives duringBill Clinton’s1992presidential campaign.Obama published anautobiography in1995Dreams From MyFather: AStory ofRace and Inheritance. And hewon aGrammy for the audio version ofthe book.Obama’sadvocacy work led him torun for the Illinois State Senate asaDemocrat. Hewas elected in1996from the south side neighborhood ofHyde Park.During these years, Obama worked with both Democrats and Republicans indrafting legislation onethics, expanded health care services and early childhood education programs for the poor. Healso created astate earned-income tax credit for the working poor. And after anumber ofinmates ondeath row were found innocent, Obama worked with law enforcement officials torequire the videotaping ofinterrogations and confessions inall capital cases.In2000, Obama made anunsuccessful Democratic primary run for the U.S.House ofRepresentatives seat held byfour-term incumbent candidate Bobby Rush.Following the 9/11attacks, Obama was anearly opponent ofPresidentGeorge W.Bush’spush towar with Iraq. Obama was still astate senator when hespoke against aresolution authorizing the use offorce against Iraq during arally atChicago’sFederal Plaza inOctober 2002."Iamnot opposed toall wars. I'm opposed todumb wars," hesaid. "What Iamopposed toisthe cynical attempt byRichard Perle andPaul Wolfowitzand other arm-chair, weekend warriors inthis Administration toshove their own ideological agendas down our throats, irrespective ofthe costs inlives lost and inhardships borne.""He's abad guy," Obama said, referring toIraqi dictatorSaddam Hussein. "The world, and the Iraqi people, would bebetter off without him. But Ialso know thatSaddamposes noimminent and direct threat tothe United States, ortohis neighbors, that the Iraqi economy isinshambles, that the Iraqi military afraction ofits former strength, and that inconcert with the international community hecan becontained until, inthe way ofall petty dictators, hefalls away into the dustbin ofhistory.""Iknow that even asuccessful war against Iraq will require aU. S. occupation ofundetermined length, atundetermined cost, with undetermined consequences," Obama continued. "Iknow that aninvasion ofIraq without aclear rationale and without strong international support will only fan the flames ofthe Middle East, and encourage the worst, rather than best, impulses ofthe Arab world, and strengthen the recruitment arm ofal-Qaeda."Thewar with Iraq began in2003 and Obama decided to run for the U.S.Senate open seat vacated by Republican Peter Fitzgerald. Inthe2004 Democratic primary, he won 52 percent of the vote, defeating multimillionaire businessman Blair Hull and Illinois Comptroller Daniel Hynes.That summer, hewas invited todeliver thekeynote speech insupport ofJohn Kerryat the 2004 Democratic National Convention in Boston. Obama emphasized the importance ofunity, and made veiled jabs atthe Bush administration and the diversionary use ofwedge issues."We worship an awesome God in the blue states, and we don't like federal agents poking around our libraries in the red states," hesaid. "We coach Little League inthe blue states, and yes, we've got some gay friends in the red states. There are patriots who opposed thewar inIraq, and there are patriots who supported the war inIraq. We are one people, allofus pledging allegiance tothe Stars and Stripes, allofus defending the United States of America."After the convention, Obama returned tohis U.S.Senate bid in Illinois. His opponent in the general election was suppose tobe Republican primary winner Jack Ryan, awealthy former investment banker. However, Ryan withdrew from the race in June 2004, following public disclosure of unsubstantiated sexual allegations by Ryan's exwife, actress Jeri Ryan.In August 2004, diplomat and former presidential candidateAlan Keyes, whowas also anAfricanAmerican, accepted the Republican nomination to replace Ryan. Inthree televised debates, Obama andKeyesexpressed opposing views onstem cell research, abortion, gun control, school vouchers and tax cuts.IntheNovember2004 general election, Obama received 70% of the vote to Keyes's 27%, the largest electoral victory inIllinois history. Obama became only thethird AfricanAmerican elected to the U.S.Senate since Reconstruction.Sworn into office January 4,2005, Obama partnered with Republican Sen. Richard Lugar of Indiana onabill that expanded efforts to destroy weapons ofmass destruction inEastern Europe and Russia. Then with Republican Sen. Tom Corburn ofOklahoma, he created a website that tracks all federal spending.Obama was also thefirst toraise the threat ofavian flu ontheSenate floor, spoke out forvictims of Hurricane Katrina, pushed for alternativeenergy development and championed improved veterans´ benefits. He also worked with Democrat Russ Feingold ofWisconsin toeliminate gifts of travel on corporate jets by lobbyists to members of Congress.His second book,The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream, was published inOctober2006.InFebruary2007, Obama made headlines when heannounced his candidacy for the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination. Hewaslocked inatight battle with former first lady and current U.S.Senator from New York,Hillary Rodham Clintonuntil he became the presumptive nominee on June 3, 2008.Obama met his wife,Michelle, in 1988 when hewasasummer associate at the Chicago law firm ofSidley & Austin. They were married inOctober1992 and live inKenwood onChicago's South Side with their daughters, Malia (born 1998) and Sasha (born 2001).