My Barack Obama
By Mike Endale

I get chills whenever I hear a story of an underdog; a story that is born against all odds. For me, Senator Barack Obama's (D-Ill.) candidacy is one of those stories. His story and message resonates with me and that of my generation.

I first found about Senator Obama’s humble and inspiring story during the 2004 Democratic National Convention where he delivered the now famous keynote address, “The Audacity of Hope”. During the speech, I remember getting goose-bumps when he talked about his personal story. He was the son of a goat-herder from Kenya and a kind-souled woman from Kansas. It is a story of an African-American who grew up in Indonesia and Hawaii before graduating from Columbia University and Harvard Law School with distinct honor. It is a story of a man who, after graduating from an Ivy-League school with a law degree, chose to work as a community organizer for a mere $13,000 annually in the economically depressed neighborhood of Chicago. It is a story about a man who stood firm on his principles and bridged gaps between political isles. It's a story of a leader who defied the odds.

What makes Senator Obama’s story especially attractive to the Ethiopian American community is not just his African heritage but also his sensible and deep understanding of the problems that are faced by poor African nations such as Ethiopia. He has taken more than one trip to Ethiopia and Kenya before and after he joined the US Senate. When he is elected president, he will need no introduction to Africa or a crash course about Africa’s needs and challenges. After all, he is African. He is Africa.

But, what makes Senator Obama's story even more compelling is his ability to inspire new cadre of people to get involved in the political system. When he launched his presidential candidacy in early 2007, many pundits questioned his capability to run a successful campaign. Many have already written him off as an "unsafe" candidate because he has not been in the national scene for long. On top of all that, there was already a safe candidate - Hillary Clinton. To the doubter’s disbelief, however, it was apparent from early on, his message of hope and change resonated with the common people and Senator Obama was a real force to be reckoned with. He outshone ALL of his rivals -- both Democrat and Republicans -- by raising more money from many more people. The latest numbers suggest that his donor base has grown to 350,000 people, making over 500,000 donations. In comparison, his closest rival, Hillary Clinton, was able to get only a little over 100,000 donors in the past nine months.

Senator Obama often says, "the world as it is not the world as it SHOULD be." His clear, optimistic and realistic view of the world is an asset in dealing with the complicated issues of our time. From globalization to foreign policy to the economy, US will require a candidate that can look at the problems from a different vantage point. Senator Obama's track record showed his ability to bring people together and work on problems. When he was an Illinois state legislator, Senator Obama worked with both political parties to pass legislation that touched many million people in the state. As a state senator, he authored and passed the most sweeping ethics reform legislation. Further, he is one of two presidential candidates that had the right judgment to oppose the war in Iraq from the start.

Whenever I get a chance to talk about Senator Obama with people, I am usually confronted with the question whether America is ready for a "black president" or not. The short answer is that there is a problem with the question. Unfortunately, some people’s idea of a "black" leader is that of the traditional black civil rights leader in the mold of Jessie Jackson and the Rev. Al Sharpton. Even though, I am forever grateful for the contributions of leaders of the civil rights movement for my freedom as a black person living in the United States, I believe Senator Obama is the one candidate who can and has articulated a unifying message of hope and redemption beyond the cache of stereotypical black politicians. There has never been an African-American candidate in the US political history that has transcended race and the pressing issues of our time to earn the respect and backing of large segments of the American people irrespective of race. Here is an opportunity, for the first time since the birth of the nation to elect a black man as president. Now, let's face it, there will be people in America who will not vote for Senator Obama just because he is black. However, I believe there are more than enough people who look beyond the color of the skin and judge him by the content of his character.

I cannot say enough about Senator Obama in one short article, but I leave you with a quote the great Dr. Martin Luther King said about not giving up. He said, "the arc of the moral universe is long but it bends toward justice."

For more information about our movement, please go to http://www.barackobama.com and his youtube page at: http://www.youtube.com/barackobama