February: Black History Month

As many of you know February is Black History Month. One of my favorite months of the year (aside from September) for that reason. So I have decided to post a blog each day with a different influential African-American who shaped the United States as a country.

Are you ready? Our first candidate is:

Barack Obama!
Why? Because who better to start off this month with than our President!



Barack Obama is the 44th president of the United States and is also the first African-American to hold that position. He is also the first president to be a native of Hawaii, the last state to be inducted into the union.



Some interesting facts about the election and the man
* It was the second time in the history of the United States that the state of Indiana voted Democrat. The first time was for JFK in the 1960 election.

* Obama practiced Civil Rights law in Chicago and taught at the University of Chicago Law School.

* He helped organize voter registration drives during Bill Clinton's run for President in 1992.

* "Dreams from my Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance" is an autobiography written by Obama and published in 1995. It has been published in 10 different languages (including Chinese and Hebrew). The audio book, narrated by Obama, received a Grammy for Best Spoken Word Album.

* 28 states voted Democrat, while only 22 voted Republican.

* Obama ran for the Illinois State Senate as a Democrat and won the election in 1996.

Some Quotes from the President
- "Change will not come if we wait for some other person, or if we wait for some other time. We are the ones we've been waiting for. We are the change that we seek."

- "A change is brought about because ordinary people do extraordinary things."

- "I believe in evolution, scientific inquiry, and global warming; I believe in free speech, whether politically correct or politically incorrect, and I am suspicious of using government to impose anybody's religious beliefs -including my own- on nonbelievers."

- "Why can't I just eat my waffle?"

- "If there is anyone out there who still doubts that America is a place where all things are possible; who still wonders if the dream of our founders is alive in our time; who still questions the power of our Democracy; Tonight is your answer."

- "Cynicism is a sorry kind of wisdom."

- "Where you are right now doesn't have to determine where you'll end up"

My Favorite Speech by Barack Obama