Barack Obama

Barack Hussein Obama II was born on 4 August 1961 in Honolulu, Hawaii, to a white mother from Kansas and a Black father from Kenya. His parents separated when he was two and his father returned to Kenya. Obama was raised largely by his maternal grandparents in Hawaii, with a period spent in Indonesia with his mother and stepfather. He navigated questions of identity and belonging from his earliest years.

Obama was an exceptional student who graduated from Columbia University and Harvard Law School, where he became the first Black president of the Harvard Law Review — a landmark in itself. He worked as a community organiser in Chicago's South Side, then as a civil rights attorney and law professor at the University of Chicago. He was elected to the Illinois State Senate in 1996.

His speech at the 2004 Democratic National Convention — 'There is not a Black America and a White America and Latino America and Asian America — there is the United States of America' — launched him into national consciousness. Four years later, on 4 November 2008, Barack Obama was elected the 44th President of the United States. It was the most significant political milestone in American history since the Civil Rights Act.

Obama's presidency (2009–2017) included the passage of the Affordable Care Act — the most significant healthcare legislation in 50 years — the killing of Osama bin Laden, the rescue of the American auto industry and the legalisation of same-sex marriage nationwide. He received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2009.

Obama left office in 2017 with an approval rating of 60%. He has since worked through the Obama Foundation on civic engagement and leadership development. He remains the most influential living figure in global progressive politics and his memoir A Promised Land (2020) became the fastest-selling presidential memoir in history.