Barack Hussein Obama Jr., the senator from Illinois, is currently running as the Democratic nominee for president. He was born in Hawaii on August 4th, 1961. Although only 47, Barack has accomplished many things. A graduate of Harvard Law School, he has written several books as well as serving in both the State and U.S. Senate for Illinois. He has two beautiful young daughters, Malia (9) and Sasha (7) with his wife Michelle.


Barack Obama's father, Barack Sr. grew up on a small farm in Kenya. Barack Sr. earned a scholarship that let him go to University of Hawaii, where he met Ann Dunham (Barack Jr.'s mom). His mom grew up in Wichita Kansas, but moved to Hawaii with her parents after World War II. When Barack was two years old, his parents separated and after the divorce Barack Sr. pursued a Ph D. at Harvard. Ann Dunham remarried to a man named Lolo Soetoro and the family moved to Indonesia where Barack Jr.'s sister Maya was born. When Barack (or "Barry" as he was called when he was younger) was ten years old he moved back to Hawaii to live with his maternal grandparents. He was one of three black students who attended a private school in Hawaii. This was where he first become conscious of racism against African-Americans.


In 1991, Barack Obama graduated from Harvard Law School Magna Cum Laude. He had been the first African-American editor of the Harvard Law Review. He returned to Chicago as a civil rights lawyer, where he helped organize voter registration efforts for Bill Clinton's 1992 presidential campaign. He was elected a state senator for Illinois in 1996 and while a State Senator he was an early opponent of President Bush's plan for the invasion of Iraq. During a speech at Chicago's Federal Plaza in 2002 he said, "I am not opposed to all wars. I'm opposed to dumb wars".


In 2004 Barack was elected a U.S. Senator of Illinois. He was only the third African-American elected to be a U.S. senator since the Civil War. Barack has writen three books: Dream From My Father in 1995, The Audacity of Hope in 2006 and It Takes a Nation also in 2006.


Barack Obama is now known nation-wide for defeating Hillary Clinton for the Democratic presidential nomination. In November he will compete against John McCain for the United States' presidency.