Page 22 - Florida Sentinel 2-3-17

Black History: A Salute To The 44th President Barack Obama
Barack Obama and wife, Michelle, with daugh- ters Malia (l) and Sasha (r).
Obama
served as a Civil Rights lawyer in Chicago and taught Consti- tutional Law part time at the University of Chicago Law School from 1992 until 2004. He began as a lecturer and
fully, for the U. S. House of Representatives in 2000, against Bobby Rush.
In 2002, Obama began raising money to run for the U. S. Senate in 2004. That year, he ran for the open seat vacated by Peter Fitzger- ald and defeated both multi- millionaire Blair Hull and Illinois Comptroller, Daniel Hynes.
In the summer of 2004, Senator Obama was in- vited to deliver the keynote speech in support of John Kerry, at the Democratic National Convention, held in Boston, Massachusetts.
He returned to Illinois and defeated Republican Alan Keyes, receiving 70 percent of the votes. It was the largest electoral victory in the history of Illinois.
The victory also made him the third African Amer- ican elected to the U. S. Sen- ate since Reconstruction.
With the proceeds from his first book entitled “Dreams from My Fa-
Marriage and Family
After earning his law de- gree, Obama returned to Chicago and was hired as a summer associate at the Chicago law firm of Sidley Austin, in June 1989.
It was there, he met Michelle Robinson, who worked with him at several group functions.
They became engaged in 1991, and married October 3, 1992. Their first daughter, Malia Ann, was born July 4, 1998. Natasha, “Sasha,” was born June 10, 2001.
later became a professor, or- ganizing voter registration drives during Bill Clinton’s Presidential Campaign.
Entering Politics Obama credits his advo- cacy work as what led him to politics. He was elected as a Illinois State Senator in 1996. He worked with both Democrats and Republicans to draft legislation on ethics and to expand health care services and early education
programs for the poor. He first ran, unsuccess-
Barack Obama, his daughter Malia, wife Michelle and youngest daughters, Sasha celebrate his victory over Republican rival Alan Keyes for the U.S. Senate November 2, 2004
ther: A Story of Race and Inheritance,” he moved his family to Wash- ington, D. C.
The book was highly praised and has since been printed in more than 25 lansguages.
In October 2006, his sec- ond book entitled “The Au- dacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream,” was published.
In February 2007, U. S.
Senator Barack Obama
set his sights on the White House and announced his candidacy for the 2008 Pres- idential nomination as a De- mocrat.
His challenger was U. S.
Senator Hillary Rodham
Clinton, former First Lady of the United States.
In June 2008, he won sufficient votes to declare him as the presumptive Democratic nominee. Mrs. Clinton supported him for the duration of the cam- paign.
On November 4, 2008, U. S. Senator Barack Obama defeated Republi- can John McCain by gar- nering 52.9 percent of the votes.
The win earned him a place in history as the first African American and 44th President of the United States. He selected Joe Biden, a Senator from Delaware, as his Vice Presi- dent.
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