Impact of Barrack Obama on the American Community - Essay Example

Barack Obama Barack Obama The United s of America has always been considered one of the most democratic nationsin the world. Individuals have the freedom to express their political views and opinions, a liberty many citizens in other countries do not possess. The history of America is one which is tarred by segregation, however, this has been eradicated from the system and the country is moving forward. One individual who is a symbol of America, and has made a significant impact in people’s lives is Barack Hussein Obama. He was the first black president, however, his impact on the people exceeds beyond his skin color and this symbolic event. The paper will provide a brief history on the life of Barack Obama and how he rose to the position he is today. In addition, the paper will illustrate the different ways in which Barack Obama made a positive impact on the American community and beyond. Barack Obama was born on the 4th of August 1961 to two parents who came from extremely different backgrounds (“Barack Obama. 44th President of the United States”, n.d). His father, Barack Obama Sr. was from Kenya and studying at the University of Hawaii on a scholarship. Ann Dunham, his mother, was from a small town in Kansas and the two of them were married in 1959, two years before Barack Obama Jr. was born in Honolulu (“Barack Obama. 44th President of the United States”, n.d). Barack did not grow up with his father as he left in order to complete an economics degree at Harvard University and then returned to his native country, Kenya, to work as an economist for the government. Obama moved to Indonesia with his mother after she married an oil executive and he studied for 4 years in Jakarta before returning to high school in Hawaii (“Barack Obama. 44th President of the United States”, n.d). Obama was raised by his grandparents and often recalls the problems he faced in coming to terms with his biracial heritage. Many analysts state this might have been an advantage for Obama in his later political years as his roots where both in the white and black cultures. Obama later moved to Los Angeles and attended Occidental College before moving to New York to Columbia University for a Bachelor of Arts degree (“Barack Obama. 44th President of the United States”, n.d). The positive impact Obama had on the community began from his early years after graduation. Obama frequently states that even after graduation he was possessed with the will to implement change from grassroots level. After graduation, Obama was briefly employed as a writer for a consultation firm in New York before he quit this job for public service. It was this moment Obama began to touch the community as he moved to a poor African American neighborhood to work as a community organizer along with local churches in Chicago. The neighborhood which Obama moved to in Chicago had been recently affected by the change in the business environment (“Barack Obama. 44th President of the United States”, n.d). It had transformed to a service based community from a manufacturing one, which left many individuals unemployed. When asked about his experience in these neighborhoods, Obama states that it was during his work as a community organizer that he received his best education (Obama, 2007). In addition, he states that the experience enabled him to come closer and in touch with his Christian faith. Obama was able to help people in this community raise their voices on many sociological issues. The community was able to state its opinions on terms such as job training, economic redevelopment, and environmental issues. Obama refers to his role in this community as a catalyst, placing the people in this community in a position to make more sound economic and political decisions (Obama, 2007). Three years in this community made Obama realize that in order for him to implement change on a larger scale for communities that need it; he would have to work from a higher authority. Following this realization he enrolled in Harvard Law School and already began to break records. Obama became the first African American to be elected as the president of the Harvard Law Review. Obama’s achievements at Harvard placed him in a position which he could do anything he wanted. However, he chose instead chose a route that enabled him to serve the community. He moved back to Chicago where he taught constitutional law and practiced civil rights law at the University of Chicago. Obama later married Michelle Robison and together they began helping the Chicago community as his wife was also a Harvard graduate. In Chicago they worked on voter registration to improve the level of democracy, an act which was beneficial to individuals such as Bill Clinton from the Democratic Party (“Barack Obama. 44th President of the United States”, n.d). The reason Obama was able to have a significant impact on the community is the fact that he had a strong interest for public service from his teenage years. In 1996 he won a seat in the Illinois state senate in his first run (“Barack Obama. 44th President of the United States”, n.d). In his campaign he was already popular with the community from the work he did earlier as a community organizer. However, this time it was different because he was able to work from a broader perspective and achieve more goals as he held a position to catalyze broader demands of the community both political and economical. In his state Obama was influential in reducing the “race excuse” that was given by most African Americans in the community. One of the positive impacts he had from this perspective was that he made people forget about race, and see the problems that exist in society from a broader view. During his term in office Obama was able to implement changes which include tax reductions for the poorer members of the community, financial reforms, and an improvement in the justice system of the state (“Barack Obama. 44th President of the United States”, n.d). Obama’s ambitions to help the people continued to grow as he always felt he can do more for the community (Obama, 2007). Obama made an unsuccessful attempt to join congress in 2000, which was later followed by an attempt for the U.S senate in 2004 after the announcement by Fitzgerald that he would not go for reelection (Mendell, 2007). During the election for the nomination Obama was victorious over his counterparts and received full support from the democrat party. Obama with his eloquent speech skills later attained an overwhelming victory in the election. His speech for a political reform was well accepted by the masses and he was on the spotlight as potential candidate to lead the Democratic Party (Mendell, 2007). Obama was also always in opposition to war as illustrated in his speech even before the conflict in Iraq began (Mendell, 2007). He always stood firm by his principles with his main areas of focus being strengthening the ethics in the American congress, increase in renewable energy supply and the increase in support of the war veterans. These are all services that are essential to different sections of the community. Obama would later run for president in the 2008 campaign first against Hillary Clinton for the Democrat nomination. He won against Clinton with his message and well organized campaign strategy and became one of the youngest head of states and the first African American president (Mendell, 2007). The victory by president Obama was historical an illustration of the democracy that exists in American politics. In the sense Obama was able to give to the American population especially the minorities. Individuals in this demography always possessed doubts on their status and opportunities in the country. Upon the election of Barack Obama, many young African Americans and other minorities gained the belief that they could reach greater heights. Obama states that the most important role he serves as a president is to protect the American population (Darsey, 2009). Obama also frequently states that the problems of other parts of the world cannot be ignored as they also become America’s problem. This shows the broad nature of Obama’s vision in helping the community. President Obama during his term has always tried to address every situation in a peaceful manner looking for dialogue where it was possible. However, as stated above, the president believes his main role is to protect the American people which means that dialogue maybe not always be possible in all situations. In summation, Obama has influenced the community in many ways which are positive and admirable. He began his work in public service after finishing university and continued to look for ways in which he can have a positive influence on people’s lives. The testimony of the president proves that each individual who has the will to help people will find a way to fulfill this and there are no limitations to where someone begins. Obama began just as a community organizer and in less than two decades he became the most powerful man in the world as the president of the United States. Obama is an example to the minority community that it is possible to achieve the greatest heights regardless of one’s background or skin color. He is also a symbol of the democracy that exists in the United States as the country was able to look beyond a history of segregation and place a minority as the leader. President Obama will always be remembered in history for the positive contributions he made to society. References “Barack Obama. 44th President of the United States”. (n.d). United States Department of State. Darsey, J. (2009). Barack Obama and Americas journey. Southern Communication Journal, 74(1), 88-103. Mendell, D. (2007). Obama: From promise to power. Amistad/HarperCollinsPublishers. Obama, B. (2007). Dreams from my father: A story of race and inheritance. Canongate Books. Read More