Barack Obama's Success

Barack Obama is a politically successful man, despite what the statistics indicate of his race and circumstances. How did he achieve this success? Certainly, a major factor of his success today is the dramatic change in racial viewpoints since Barack’s birth in the early 1960’s. However, in order for him to have risen to this stature, we have to look at the factors surrounding his youth, which paved the path to his success today. There are three major contributing factors, which lead to Barack as a successful person, environment, education and family.

Barack was born in 1961, during a decade of tremendous racial turmoil. These years were a time of great change for America. The country was literally redefined as people from all walks of life fought to uphold their standards on what they believed a true democracy is made of; equal rights for all races, freedom of speech, and the right to stay out of wars in which they felt they didn’t belong.

Yet, much of this turmoil was unfelt by Barack and his family as they lived in Hawaii, which itself had become the new melting pot of the United States. Though he was not entirely isolated from racism, his mother and grandparents, being white, shielded him from much of the effects.

At the age of six, he moved to Jakarta with his mother and new stepfather. Life in Indonesian, an impoverish country, was difficult, made better by the fact that his stepfather Lolo was relatively financially secure. However, Barack was able to see the effects poverty has on a people. Corruption existed in every level of society and limited educational opportunities. Corruption is the way of life in Jakarta, success or failure depends on the willingness of a person to use it. The next person, hungry ...

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...ung black man was the key to his success. To that extent, she pushed Barack extra hard, giving him lessons outside of his normal school courses. She establishes in him the drive, discipline and dedication required to become successful and give him the tools to do it.

The factors, circumstances and influences in Barack’s life helped to mold him into the successful man he is today, not unlike anyone else. His story, however, is unquestionably uncommon among black men born in the 1960’s. The one lesson a person could acquire and apply to his or her own life is that success or failure relies on an individual’s own fortitude.

Works Cited

Obama, B. (2004). Dreams from My Father. New York: Three Rivers Press.

Stephanopoulos, G. (1995, 07 19). Affirmative Action Review. Retrieved 02 16, 2010, from White House: http://clinton2.nara.gov/WH/EOP/OP/html/aa/aa02.html