Obama's Sister Talks About His Childhood

Half-Sister Maya Soetoro-Ng Says Roots Of His Success Are In Hawaii

(AP)  Sen. Barack Obama became a successful politician in Illinois. But the roots of that success are in this city thousands of miles and a cultural light-year away.

Born and raised in Honolulu, Obama honed his ability to appeal to a diverse group of people in the islands, a crossroad of cultures from throughout the Pacific, said his half-sister, Maya Soetoro-Ng.

"Hawaii is the place that gave him the ability to ... understand people from a wide array of backgrounds," she said in a recent phone interview. "People see themselves in him ... because he himself contains multitudes."

The family's own diversity played no small part in developing that skill, she said.

Obama's parents - Barack Obama Sr., a black man from a poor village in Kenya, and Ann Dunham, a white woman whose parents grew up in Kansas - met at the University of Hawaii and married in Honolulu.

After the marriage failed, a 6-year-old Obama left Hawaii to spend four years in Indonesia with his mother and Indonesian stepfather, Lolo Soetoro. In 1971, Obama's mother sent him back to Honolulu to stay with his maternal grandparents.

Obama still returns almost every Christmas to visit family, indulge in local sushi, body surf at a beach on the southeastern coast of Oahu and look for sea turtles, Soetoro-Ng said. His parents and grandfather have died, and his grandmother is in poor health but has been following the presidential race closely on television, she said.

"Hawaii really is a sanctuary for him - a safe place where he can just relax, where things are in many respects unchanged," Soetoro-Ng said.

In his 1995 memoir, "Dreams from My Father," Obama wrote about growing up with the island's unique food and culture: poi and roast pig, choice cuts of aku for sashimi and spearfishing off Kailua Bay. Living in his grandparents' downtown apartment, he attended the prestigious Punahou School and drove to parties at Army bases.

Classmates at Punahou describe Obama - known as Barry to them - as an upbeat, social person who played basketball and occasionally wore an African-style shirt.

But in his memoirs, Obama described feeling like a misfit in his Indonesian sandals and old-fashioned clothes when he started at the school. As one of the few black students at Punahou - and among a small group of blacks on the island - he remembered someone wanting to touch his hair and being asked whether his father ate people.

He struggled with his racial identity and turned to marijuana to block the questions out, he wrote.

Former classmate Kelli Furushima, who remembered Obama playfully grabbing a pencil from her ear while passing in the hallway, said she never knew about the turmoil Obama was experiencing. But Furushima said she wasn't surprised.

"You don't let the world know how you feel when you're a teenager," she said. "You might be really insecure inside, but when you're walking down the halls, you're laughing."

Soetoro-Ng said her brother was a private man who dealt with questions about his identity and other struggles in "a very personal way."

"He's good though about grappling with them and moving on," she said. "Today he is a man very comfortable with himself and peaceful with his sense of self."

Soetoro-Ng, who is nine years younger than Obama, said her mother divorced Soetoro when she was 9, making Obama the father figure in her life. He toured colleges with her, showed her New York and Chicago and gave her her first novels.

"He let me know the world was large, and that I should get to know as much of it as possible," she said.

[gunnerv1]

Could some one from the Blue Dogs please explane why, in the new DNC office that just opened in Texas features a Cuban Flag with Che Guvera''s face on it hanging on the wall? I''m waiting...

[b-easy63]

It is hard to understand how the Hispanic community that has been there to keep your campaign alive could remain in your corner when the first Hispanic woman to serve as your presidential campaign manager has resigned''''''''FIRED'''''''' from her post.

The next state that has the most hispanics is Texas wow.

WATCH HOW HILLARY WILL START TO BECOME AN ATTACK MODE . YOU CAN TELL SHE IS LOSING BECAUSE ALL SHE DOES IS ATTACK . WE NEED TO KNOW WHAT YOU''''RE GOING TO DO.

Posted by joshua2009 at 08:29 PM : Feb 14, 2008


She probably did not think the Hispanics would mind--after all, she abstained on the amnesty vote and shot down the drivers licenses for illegals in NY right after supporting it--and they still voted for her in CA, NM and AZ--so she probably figured they would not notice or care and would vote for her anyway. Sort of an attitude that "hispanics are too well trained to vote for me--just like she thought blacks were also well trained..." But Maggie will fix it all--she''ll come out on the stage with Hilary and say Como estas? and they will embrace Hilary by association---or Hilary will bring Solis in to reassure the crowd that she is not mad....LOL

[b-easy63]

Hilary wasn''t thinking clearly. Otherwise, she would have waited to fire Solis until just after she won Texas. But that is not all, Hilary took Black and Hispanic votes for granted and will continue to do so until they show her they are not a sure thing--that is the reason, on national tv--she supported DL for illegals then took it away--"what does it matter (wink) (wink) those Mezcans will support me anyway" (smirk, smirk)

Never trust or honor a person who is ashamed to side with you in Public--because it means they don''t respect you--they are just using you.She needs them now--so she''ll be all down home gringa for them--but really? Does she really think they are sooooo stupid and their vote is soooo wrapped up that she can do anything and they won''t see the disconnect?

[truthradar]

CUANTO SABES DE HILLARY CLINTON? GMA INVESTIGACION...
Clinton, para las mujeres, los hispanos, los trabajadores...NUNCA!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ZVpPGxuafA

[joshua2009-2009]

HISPANICS IN TEXAS WILL DELIEVER BARACK OBAMA BECAUSE OF THE WAY HILLARY CLINTON FIRED SOLIS DOYLE ,SOLIS DOYLE IS MEXICAN/HISPANIC/LATINO SHE WAS HILLARY''S CAMPAIGN MANAGER SHE CALLED THE SHOTS. WELL HILLARY FIRED HER JUST A COUPLE DAYS AGO . WAS GOING ON . MEXICAN AND HISPANIC LAWMAKERS ARE UPSET BADLY. I THINK IF HISPANCS NEW ABOUT THIS IN TEXAS HILLARY WOULD BE THROUGH. I AM HISPANIC AND I CAN''T STAND THIS . THAT''S WHY I JUST JUMPED SHIP TO BARACK OBAMA.

[joshua2009-2009]

Everyone is talking about this, Whether Hillary can still deliver the hispanics over the controversy over the way she fired'''' SOLIS DOYLE'''' HER ''''NOW '''' FORMER PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN MANAGER YES ,PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN MANAGER!!!She is hispanic. Even hispanic/Latino Lawmakers are upset really bad about it. THIS JUST HAPPEND A FEW DAYS AGO .
It is hard to understand how the Hispanic community that has been there to keep your campaign alive could remain in your corner when the first Hispanic woman to serve as your presidential campaign manager has resigned''''FIRED'''' from her post.

The next state that has the most hispanics is Texas wow.

WATCH HOW HILLARY WILL START TO BECOME AN ATTACK MODE . YOU CAN TELL SHE IS LOSING BECAUSE ALL SHE DOES IS ATTACK . WE NEED TO KNOW WHAT YOU''RE GOING TO DO.

[changenow]

I always said OBAMA is the man. Hillary don''t stand a chance. McCain is wasting money and time.

[kojihirai-2009]

Do you know there are strong supports for Mr. Obama in Japan? They live in small town located in the middle of the country and facing the Sea of Japan, called "Obama-city." They are exited and looking forward to Mr. Obama''s getting nomination for presidential candidate. Go for it!!!

[grazinggoat]

This story is a lovely one. Pretty unlikely fate though, because most of US presidents were raised in comfortable and wealthy families. It''s time for America to open up to other races, Nations and religions as well. USA and other immigration Nations backbones are made of first generation immigrants at a level of 15-20 percent, but no real data are available on how much second and third generations represent? Let Immigrants have their fair share of power.

Obama08

[unlocking-2009]

Nice story about a gentleman who may very well be the next president of the USA.

If only Hillary would behave like a lady and congraulate Obama properly. It''s the little things that count - but then again - she''s only concerned with big things - like big states.

[flreason]

TracyMorgan2/rushlimpdrug:

TM: What has your comment got to do with the topic? Obama isn''t Muslim. And he has only one wife.

Rush: You''re kidding, right? Half-siblings who grow up together call one another brother or sister--not half-brother or half-sister. Despite the fact that they had different fathers, they are brother and sister. It sounds as if she was lucky enough to have a really great big brother.

[lulus168]

WHY Obama WIN ????????????????????????????????
GO TO and READ
http://www.thecityedition.com/Pages/Archive/Winter08/2008Election.html

[lulus168]

WHY Obama WINhttp://www.thecityedition.com/Pages/Archive/Winter08/2008Election.html
GO TO and read than you know why

[PulSamsara]

I would be willing to bet that ''TracyMorgan2'' is a Clinton supporter playing very amateur Machiavellian politics.
----------------------
Barack Obama for President of the UNITED States of America.

[ki8911]

There''s just something refreshing about Barack. He comes across as intelligent, firm, honest, a real person. Of course, to be a politician, I''d guess one needs a strong ego to play the game. You can''t be a wimp. I''ll hand that to all of the Democratic hopefuls who at least gave it their best shot. I liked Edwards, but sadly, he got chewed up by the system. But my gut says Barack is the one who could be one heckuva a good president. And someday, yes, I''d like to see a woman president, I just do not Hillary Clinton. Bill wants another shot of power & and for me he is trying to come in the back door. Hillary would be not even a blip on the radar if it wasn''t for the fact she was the former 1st Lady. So I very much want Barack Obama to our next president. Then the rest of the world will be able to see that America is finally growing up, that it is the quality of character not skin color, that makes the person. This 50 year old white human female endorses Barack.

[rushlimpdrug]

So is it his sister or half-sister that is talking about Obama?