Media Device #7

http://abcnews.go.com/print?id=3752755

Article about Barak Obama overcoming his race difference and experience as a presidential candidate.

As most American citizens have notices is that from the day this country was discovered, all of the leaders have been white male. Now in the 21st century, people have broken out of that stereotypical leadership role, and now we have a man by the name of Barack Obama running for President of the United States. His father who was originally from Kenya left when he was only 2, to study at Harvard University, leaving him and his mother alone. His mother eventually re-married, to a man from Indonesia. Obama and his mother ventured over to his native land and lived there for just about 4 years, then he moved to Hawaii. Growing up, Barack experience many different cultures, the article explains, "He had already navigated the exotic corners of Hawaii and Indonesia, the halls of privilege of Cambridge, Mass., and the poverty-wracked streets of Chicago as a boy, a student and a young man." Barack never spoke of his challenge as to which he identified with, he says in the article interview "Dreams from My Father," in which he wrote about wrestling with his racial identity and using drugs including marijuana and cocaine to "push questions of who I was out of my mind." After attending a school in Hawaii, and playing on the schools basketball team, Obama briefly worked in New York. After three years, he decided to attend Law school at Harvard. During his time at Harvard, Obama had two memorable moments, the first was meeting his wife, and the second was being elected the first black President of the Harvard Law Review. (Pg 3)"In 1996, he won a state Senate seat and helped change laws governing the death penalty, ethics and racial profiling,” states the article. Because of Obama's ethnic roots, he has been the center of debates. Some other black leaders have questioned whether he is black enough to be a leader. Obama comes back and quotes "there never has been any question about him (me) being black..." He is the first Black man to run for President.
When I was reading this article I thought about history, and how black people used to not be able to overcome anything. They went from slaves, and the abuse of living on a plantation, to being segregated and hated by the whites. These ideas are present in many articles we've read, including the novel "Kindred" written by Octavia Butler. Another article it reminded me of was Johnson’s article titled, Privilege, Oppression, and Difference. This article talks about the white people and the power and privilege they have over minorities. Obama has overcome the difference of being a minority in a world dominated by white people, and has made it possible to have to same privilege and opportunities as other people.
Why would some people be uncomfortable with a black man as president? Some people could argue that its because that specific group of people are minorities, and the president should be someone who can relate to the Majority of the population, however, Barack Omaba has experienced life as white (because of his mother). The title of the Article, which is "Barack Obama Straddles Different Worlds
Barack Obama: a Pragmatist Who Learned to Adapt to Different Worlds." this should explain a lot. People, who are still stuck on the white male president, should open their eyes.
I think that this is an extremely inspirational article, and gives hope to men AND women white or color to pursue their dreams. Anyone who can overcome and adapt to the different lives Barack has, can accomplish just about everything. I think whether or not he actually becomes president, Omaba has inspired, other young men and women, and opened the door for opportunity to other people.