Will the skinny boy with the funny last name become the first black President of the US?
Mireille with Obama
A friend of mine defined the difference between emigrating to the Netherlands and emigrating to America as follows: if you move to the Netherlands you remain Surinamese, if you move to America you become American. Now I am very proud of my roots, but when I heard Barack Obama speak for the first time I really wanted to become American right away.
His Key Note speech at the 2004 Democratic convention came straight from the heart and won over black and white America, Democrats and Republicans, Muslims and Christians, Americans and non-Americans.
The skinny boy with the funny last name, as he called himself, is the son of a Kenyan intellectual and an American from Kansas. As if that wasn't diverse enough, he also grew up in Hawaii, Indonesia and America.
When he discovered as a social worker in Chicago that he needed more knowledge to actually bring about change, he went to the prestigious Harvard University. There he already made history. Obama became the first African-American president of the Harvard Law Review.
After his already historic speech, Barack won the race for the US Senate with flying colours. Remarkably enough, this gifted speaker was immediately tipped as a suitable candidate for the presidency of the United States. Modest as he is and gifted with an intelligent sense of humour and self-mockery, Obama declared that he would probably have to serve coffee in the Senate for the first year, just like all other newcomers. Less than 3 years later, the people seemed to be asking him to run for the presidency. For a while, he kept America in suspense.
Since he announced via his website http://www.barackobama.com/ that he is taking the first steps towards the White House, his star seems to be rising. He is number two in the Pollieke polls, not far after Hillary Clinton who has invested incomparably more time and millions in her political career. There is no serious program that Obama does not discuss and raises a ton of questions. Is he not too young and has too little experience, but above all is America “ready” for a black president?
The road to the presidency is paved with such political gamesmanship that the most sincere people get lost. The lack of experience is therefore not to be underestimated.
Yet you only need to see Barack Obama in action once to dispel all doubt. He is not only brilliant and sincere, he is also charismatic and genuine. A stunningly impressive combination. His ability to bring together two opposing parties that are not quite at each other's throats is also exceptional. At such moments, color, background and religion blur.
That is why I am not concerned about the blackness of this unique man. His aura clearly transcends any form of racism. It makes me firmly convinced that if Senator Barack Obama does indeed run for president, the States of America will be united and ready for their first black President.
Read his biography: Dreams from my father.