Realizing The American Dream: Barack H. Obama

Barack Obama’s rise to presidency represents the epitome of the American Dream – that hard work, strong values, dedication, and a passion for public service can lead to being a global leader and the head of government of one of the greatest nations in the world – the United States of America. Pearlman, Brown & Wax pays homage and praises his leadership and brilliance in commemoration of Black History Month and President’s Day.

Obama was born August 4, 1961, in Honolulu, Hawaii. His parents divorced when he was 2 years old, and he was raised by his mother and maternal grandparents. He moved with his family to Indonesia in 1967, until returning to Hawaii in 1971. After graduating high school in 1979, Obama first attended Occidental College in Los Angeles, before transferring to Columbia University, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science in 1983. He relocated to Chicago, Illinois, in 1985 when he accepted a job with the Developing Communities Project, where he worked with low-income communities of Chicago’s South Side.

After three years of community organizing, Obama enrolled in Harvard Law School. After completing his first year, he worked as a summer associate at Sidley & Austin, where his mentor was Michelle Robinson, his future wife. He became the first African-American president of the Harvard Law Review, prior to graduating magna cum laude in 1991. Obama and Michelle married in 1992. Their daughters, Malia and Sasha, were born in 1998 and 2001, respectively. In the summer of 1995, Obama’s first book was published – Dreams From My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance, detailing his personal history and search for identity.

In 1996, Obama was elected to the Illinois State Senate, and then to the U.S. Senate in 2004. At the Democratic National Convention that summer, he delivered a much-acclaimed keynote address. While serving as U.S. Senator from Illinois, he completed his second book, The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream, published in October 2006. In 2008, after a close primary campaign against Hillary Clinton, Obama was nominated by the Democratic Party for president and chose then-Senator Joe Biden as his running mate. On November 4, 2008, Barack Obama became the first African-American to be elected President. He was inaugurated as the 44th President of the United States on January 20, 2009.

In March 2010, after announcing his intent for healthcare reform, President Obama signed the Affordable Care Act (also known as “Obamacare”), establishing the most sweeping reforms of the American healthcare system in recent history. On May 2, 2011, President Obama announced to the nation that the United States had conducted an operation that resulted in the death of al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden with no American casualties. Given his popularity and accomplishments, Obama was re-elected in 2012 for a second successful term. Upon completion of this term, President and Mrs. Obama returned to their lives as private citizens on January 20, 2017.

President Barack Obama is an American hero. We proudly honor his legacy.