Barack Obama

Raymond Hutson

Who is Barack Obama?• became in 2008 the first African

American to be elected president of the United States. Obama, a Democrat, had represented Illinois in the United States Senate since 2005. Before being elected to the U.S. Senate, Obama served for eight years in the Illinois Senate. In the 2008 presidential election, Obama defeated Senator John McCain, a Republican from Arizona. In a heated fight for the Democratic nomination, Obama had defeated Hillary Rodham Clinton, a U.S. senator from New York and former first lady.

Who are the people in Obama’s immediate family?

• Obama’s family. In 1989, while working as a summer associate at a Chicago law firm, Obama met Michelle Robinson (1964-...). Michelle was a lawyer who later became a hospital executive. The couple married on Oct. 3, 1992. They have two children: Malia (1998-...) and Natasha, commonly called Sasha (2001-...). Obama's mother died of ovarian cancer in 1995.

What colleges did Obama attend?

• College. After graduation from high school, Obama enrolled at Occidental College in Los Angeles. He was popular among his classmates and became known as a serious student and an accomplished basketball player. While at Occidental, Obama participated in demonstrations to encourage the college to withdraw its investments from South Africa because of that country's policy of apartheid (rigid racial segregation). Obama credited the experience with getting him involved in public policy issues.

What is Obama’s favorite sport?

• Obama was a reserve player on the Punahou School basketball team that won the state title in 1979. For his success at making long-range jump shots, his teammates gave him the nickname “Barry O’Bomber.”

What do I like the most about Obama?

• What I like about Obama is his determination. Also that he is the first African American president. I also like his slogan “Yes We Can” showing he is for change