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Words of Obama’s Father Still Waiting to Be Read by His Son
Letters written long ago by Barack Obama Sr. shed new light on a young Kenyan whose ambitions helped change the course of U.S. history. But for the president, they may also revive old pain.
The New York Times
by Rachel L. Swarns
6/18/2016
Excerpts:
The archivist stumbled across the file in a stack of boxes on the second floor of the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in Harlem. The yellowing letters inside dated back more than half a century, chronicling the dreams and struggles of a young man in Kenya.
He was ambitious and impetuous, a 22-year-old clerk who could type 75 words a minute and translate English into Swahili. But he had no money for college. So he pounded away on a typewriter in Nairobi, pleading for financial aid from universities and foundations across the Atlantic.
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In 2013, the Schomburg Center invited President Obama to see the newly discovered documents, which included nearly two dozen of his father’s letters, his transcripts from the University of Hawaii and Harvard University, and references from professors, advisers and supporters. Nearly three years later, as Mr. Obama celebrates his last Father’s Day in the White House, the center is still waiting for a response.
The trove of documents, described publicly here for the first time, renders a portrait of Barack Obama Sr. in his own words, sometimes in his own handwriting, as he describes his studies in the United States. But it also lays bare the beginnings of the fractured relationship between father and son.
A senior White House official said President Obama would be interested in seeing the documents after he leaves office next year, but declined to comment on why administration officials had not responded to the letter or to follow-up correspondence.
“The papers are rich; they tell a fascinating, traditional, self-made man’s story,” said Khalil Gibran Muhammad, the director of the Schomburg Center, who said he hoped Mr. Obama would read them someday. “There’s a reason to bear witness to the personal legacy that is here.” (bold, color and underline emphasis added in the above four paragraphs)
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It was while pursuing his undergraduate degree at the University of Hawaii in 1960 that Barack Obama Sr. met Ann Dunham, a classmate. Although he already had a wife and two children in Kenya, he married her the following year, after she became pregnant. Their son was born on Aug. 4, 1961. But Barack Obama Sr. never mentioned his new wife and son, not even in his scholarship applications.
In 1963, as he applied for a grant to help cover his graduate studies at Harvard, Barack Obama Sr. was asked on a financial aid form about his marital status and number of dependents. He left the section blank.
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On Aug. 4, 1959, he boarded Flight 162 of British Overseas Airways Corp. and flew from Nairobi to Rome, records show. From there, he flew to Paris and then on to New York. A bus carried him to Los Angeles, where he caught a plane to Hawaii. A year later, he would meet Ms. Dunham, President Obama’s mother.
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View the complete article, including images, at:
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/19/ny...as-father.html
My comment regarding Obama's obvious reluctance to examine the Schomburg Center papers:
I wonder if he is afraid that one or more of those papers penned by his 'Dad' so many years ago might reveal something damning about his son's past -- For example -- OBAMA WAS ACTUALLY BORN IN KENYA and not in Hawaii as he claims. Hmmmmm!
Letters written long ago by Barack Obama Sr. shed new light on a young Kenyan whose ambitions helped change the course of U.S. history. But for the president, they may also revive old pain.
The New York Times
by Rachel L. Swarns
6/18/2016
Excerpts:
The archivist stumbled across the file in a stack of boxes on the second floor of the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in Harlem. The yellowing letters inside dated back more than half a century, chronicling the dreams and struggles of a young man in Kenya.
He was ambitious and impetuous, a 22-year-old clerk who could type 75 words a minute and translate English into Swahili. But he had no money for college. So he pounded away on a typewriter in Nairobi, pleading for financial aid from universities and foundations across the Atlantic.
..................................................
In 2013, the Schomburg Center invited President Obama to see the newly discovered documents, which included nearly two dozen of his father’s letters, his transcripts from the University of Hawaii and Harvard University, and references from professors, advisers and supporters. Nearly three years later, as Mr. Obama celebrates his last Father’s Day in the White House, the center is still waiting for a response.
The trove of documents, described publicly here for the first time, renders a portrait of Barack Obama Sr. in his own words, sometimes in his own handwriting, as he describes his studies in the United States. But it also lays bare the beginnings of the fractured relationship between father and son.
A senior White House official said President Obama would be interested in seeing the documents after he leaves office next year, but declined to comment on why administration officials had not responded to the letter or to follow-up correspondence.
“The papers are rich; they tell a fascinating, traditional, self-made man’s story,” said Khalil Gibran Muhammad, the director of the Schomburg Center, who said he hoped Mr. Obama would read them someday. “There’s a reason to bear witness to the personal legacy that is here.” (bold, color and underline emphasis added in the above four paragraphs)
..........................................
It was while pursuing his undergraduate degree at the University of Hawaii in 1960 that Barack Obama Sr. met Ann Dunham, a classmate. Although he already had a wife and two children in Kenya, he married her the following year, after she became pregnant. Their son was born on Aug. 4, 1961. But Barack Obama Sr. never mentioned his new wife and son, not even in his scholarship applications.
In 1963, as he applied for a grant to help cover his graduate studies at Harvard, Barack Obama Sr. was asked on a financial aid form about his marital status and number of dependents. He left the section blank.
................................................
On Aug. 4, 1959, he boarded Flight 162 of British Overseas Airways Corp. and flew from Nairobi to Rome, records show. From there, he flew to Paris and then on to New York. A bus carried him to Los Angeles, where he caught a plane to Hawaii. A year later, he would meet Ms. Dunham, President Obama’s mother.
.................................................. .....
View the complete article, including images, at:
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/19/ny...as-father.html
My comment regarding Obama's obvious reluctance to examine the Schomburg Center papers:
I wonder if he is afraid that one or more of those papers penned by his 'Dad' so many years ago might reveal something damning about his son's past -- For example -- OBAMA WAS ACTUALLY BORN IN KENYA and not in Hawaii as he claims. Hmmmmm!