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The life of Barack Hussein Obama II; the first African American president of the United States of America.
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Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office.
He was born on August 4th, 1961 in Honolulu, Hawaii. His father was from Kenya and his mother from Kansas. He was raised with help from his grandfather and grandmother, who both served as shining examples of what hard work and determination can do.
President Obama worked his way through college with the help of scholarships and students loans. He graduated from Punahou and went on to Occidental College in Los Angeles. However, midway through his studies, he transferred to Columbia University in New York City.
After graduation, he moved to Chicago. During that time, the closure of local steel plants caused many to lose their jobs and wreaked havoc on the area. President Obama worked with local churches in the area to help rebuild those communities.
From there, Obama applied to and was accepted at Harvard Law School. In 1990, he was elected president of the Harvard Law Review. He was the first African American to serve in the post.
Upon graduation, he returned to Chicago. He remained a vital part of the community, teaching constitutional law at the University of Chicago, as well as helped lead a voter registration drive.
Obama's advocacy work led him to run for the Illinois State Senate as a Democrat. He was elected to the seat in 1996.
While the Illinois State Senator, he passed the first major ethics reform in 25 years.
His work in health care reform also began as a Senator. He expanded health care for children and their parents, as well as cut taxes for working families.
In February 2007, Obama announced his candidacy for the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination.
On November 4th, 2008, Barack Obama defeated the Republican presidential nominee, John McCain.
Obama was elected the 44th President of the United States, and was sworn into office on January 20th, 2009.
He was married to his wife, Michelle in 1992. They have two children, Malia, 10, and Sasha, 7.
References:
*bio. TRUE STORY: Barack Obama Biography
*Encyclopedia of World Biography: Notable Biographies
*White House.gov: President Barack Obama
Images:
 As we pay tribute to the many African American leaders of past and present, we remember the pioneers that paved the way in song. With the help of Songs for Teaching, below are just a few musical selections to observe Black History Month. |
| Follow the Drinking Gourd |
| Get on Board, Little Children |
| I Have a Dream - Musical Tribute to MLK |
| I'm On My Way |
| Kumbaya |
| Rosa Parks |
| Stand Up for Your Beliefs |
| We've Got The Whole World In Our Hands |
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| 1850: First organization of black workers is established in New York City, called The American League of Colored Laborers. |
| 1869: National Labor Union becomes first organization of white workers to advocate creation of black labor unions. |
| 1869: The Colored National Labor Union is formed. |
| 1918: First federal bureau to attempt to ease labor-related racial tensions caused by blacks leaving the South is established. |
| 1941: The Fair Employment Practice Commission is established, which is the first federal agency to provide fair employment practices |
| 1945: In New York, the Ives-Quinn Act is passed. It was the first state legislation prohibiting discrimination in employment on the basis of race, creed or color. |
| 1948: Truman signs Executive Order 9981 |
| 1954: Supreme Court rules on Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas case, which stated segregation in public schools was unconstitutional. |
| 1955: Civil Rights Pioneer Rosa Parks refuses to give up her seat to a white passenger; Montgomery Bus Boycott ensues. |
| 1957: Martin Luther King and other African American leaders establish the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. |
| 1963: Nearly 200,000 people join the March on Washington, where Martin Luther King delivers his infamous, "I Have a Dream" speech. |
| 1964: The Civil Rights Act of 1964 is passed, making it the first federal fair employment legislation. |
| 1965: The Voting Rights Act of 1965 is passed by Congress, which allows all colors and creeds to vote. |
| 1983: Guion “Guy” Bluford, Jr. becomes first African American in space. |
| 2007: Tony Dungy becomes first African American head coach to win Super Bowl; his Colts defeated the Chicago Bears on February 4th, 2007. |
| 2009: Barack Hussein Obama II becomes the 44th President of the United States; the first African American to hold the office. |
