Barack Obama, Jr. was born on August 4, 1961, in Honolulu, Hawaii. His mother, Ann Dunham was a White woman from Kansas, and his father was a Black man from Kenya. Barack Obama, Jr.’s parents separated when he was young, and his father moved first to Massachusetts to attend Harvard and then back to Kenya. Unfortunately, in 1982, Barack Obama, Sr. passed away in a car accident. When his mother married, the family relocated to Jakarta and he grew up alongside one of his many half-siblings.
After transferring from Occidental College, Obama continued his education at Columbia University where he studied political science and international relations. From there, he followed in his father’s footsteps and attended Harvard Law School. During his time at Harvard, he was president of the Harvard Law Review and graduated Magna Cume Laude.
After his graduation, Obama worked as a law professor at the University of Chicago before turning to a career in politics in 1996. That same year, Obama was elected to the Illinois State Senate and then was reelected in 1998. In 2004, he made a name for himself after winning the U.S. Democratic Primary in Illinois and by becoming the keynote speaker at the Democratic National Convention, where he pleaded for “red” and “blue” to come together. Later that year, he was elected to the U.S. Senate by a large sum.
Obama officially announced his presidential candidacy on February 10, 2007, in Springfield, Illinois. Shortly thereafter, he won the Democratic nomination. Obama’s charisma, down-to-earth nature, and public speaking abilities quickly gained him support. Obama ran with the campaign promise of change and won the election. Some 1.8 million people attended his presidential inauguration and watched as he was sworn in using the very same bible that Abraham Lincoln used during his own inauguration in 1861.
Not only did Obama break barriers as the first Black President, but he also made good on his promise of change. During his presidency, he signed The Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009, signed The Affordable Care Act, and joined the Iran Nuclear Deal. In his first term as president, Obama was awarded the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize for his work. He was sitting president during the operation that killed Osama Bin Laden, the 50th anniversary of the Selma to Montgomery Marches, the legalization of same-sex marriage, and the Paris Accords.
In addition to his political campaigns and work, Barack Obama raised two young women, Malia and Sasha, alongside his wife, Michelle Obama. He and his wife, Michelle, were not involved in any significant scandals in the White House. In fact, they made it clear that they were very much a part of the people, appearing on television, engaging in social media, prompting healthy food services and exercise in schools, and even creating his own playlists for people to add to their music libraries.
The Obamas proved their kindness, patriotism, and dedication to making a better, stronger, and healthier America for everyone. Overall, Obama has accomplished quite a bit in his 59 years. Today, we celebrate his 60th birthday and cheer him on as he continues to create change.
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Kassidy Garland has had a great appreciation for reading and writing since she was young. She graduated from West Chester University in 2017 with a Bachelor’s Degree in English & Women and Gender Studies. With a concentration in creative writing, Kassidy has 5 years of experience writing blogs, articles, and for social media. Kassidy is also pursuing a Master’s degree in IT with a concentration in Web Development. Based out of Philadelphia, Kassidy loves to write about a number of topics and looks forward to sharing her passion with those at FunTimes Magazine.
