President Obama is one of the most important African American successful role models in history.
One year after his election victory, people all over the world are still celebrating Barack Obama's election victory.
The President recently made history again by being nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize after only 10 months in office.
Of course, for African American people, this success has particular significance.
What can African American people learn from his success?
What can African Americans learn from the success of Barack Obama?
One year after his election victory, people all over the world are still celebrating Barack Obama's election victory.
Click here to watch the President's video about how to bring about positive change.
Of course, for African American people, this success has particular significance.
We have been excluded from the decision-making process for many generations. We saw evidence of this as recently as the 2000 Presidential election, in which many African American and Latino votes were not counted.
Before the election, Chris Rock said was that, if Barack Obama won, he, Rock, would no longer have to tell his children "You can be anything you want" every time they left the house.
Beyonce has said that her young nephew doesn't even understand why it's a big deal that we have an African American President. Click here to read more.
One thing we can learn from the President's example is to be aware of our history, to learn from it, but not to allow it to hold us back or limit us in our ambitions.
Click here to watch the President's video about how to bring about positive change.
Of course, for African American people, this success has particular significance.
We have been excluded from the decision-making process for many generations. We saw evidence of this as recently as the 2000 Presidential election, in which many African American and Latino votes were not counted.
Before the election, Chris Rock said was that, if Barack Obama won, he, Rock, would no longer have to tell his children "You can be anything you want" every time they left the house.
Beyonce has said that her young nephew doesn't even understand why it's a big deal that we have an African American President. Click here to read more.
One thing we can learn from the President's example is to be aware of our history, to learn from it, but not to allow it to hold us back or limit us in our ambitions.
Making History
The President is making history so fast it's hard to keep up!
The Healthcare Reform Bill has been passed by Congress by a margin of just five votes. This is wonderful news, as it will make healthcare available to millons of Americans who currently do not have access to it.
President Obama was given a Nobel Peace Prize after only 10 months in office.
Typically of President Obama, he has said that this prize award does not reflect his achievements, but is "an affirmation of American leadership, on behalf of aspirations held by people in all nations".
The Healthcare Reform Bill has been passed by Congress by a margin of just five votes. This is wonderful news, as it will make healthcare available to millons of Americans who currently do not have access to it.
President Obama was given a Nobel Peace Prize after only 10 months in office.
Typically of President Obama, he has said that this prize award does not reflect his achievements, but is "an affirmation of American leadership, on behalf of aspirations held by people in all nations".
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See also Allowing Success.
The Two Americas
Like many African American children, I grew up hearing the "You can be anything you want" speech. I even believed it, up to a point.
But I, and other Black children, knew that there were two Americas. The one that stood for liberty, equality and justice. And the other one.
The America in which we lived was one in which justice was denied and dreams were deferred.
Barack Obama is too young to recall the times when African American people were beaten for wanting to sit at a lunch counter, or threatened and even murdered for wanting to vote.
But he lives in a time where African American men are still disproportionately found in the prison system and on death row. And when prisoners' labour is still sold cheaply to major corporations such as Microsoft.
So what can we learn from Barack Obama's example?
He has not been defeated by low expectations based on history. He has cultivated successful thinking which led to successful actions.
President Obama has not allowed his perceived weaknesses to hold him back. When his opponents criticised him for his lack of experience, he turned this around and told us he represented change.
President Obama has been willing to ask the electorate what we want, and pay attention to the feedback he gets.
He has utilised new methods in order to achieve his goals. Unlike his main opponent, Senator McCain, Obama is noted for his use of new technology and the Internet. This particularly made him attractive to younger voters.
President Obama has stuck with his principles and his values. He has made a point of being inclusive by mobilising younger voters, particularly young African American people who frequently fail to vote or even register. This demographic often feel alienated from the whole electoral process, even when they are in a position to be able to vote.
President Obama has vision and he shared his vision effectively with the American people. He made it clear that he planned to be the President for all of the United States, rather than being a Black President specifically.
President Obama demonstrated his commitment to family values by including his wife and children in his campaign, and through his ongoing connections with both of his grandmothers.
These are some of the lessons African American people can learn from Obama's success. In order to be successful in any field, we need to be flexible. We need to turn our perceived weaknesses into strengths. We need to remember where we come from, honour our heritage, without being tied to the past. We need to use new and different methods. And we need to listen and pay attention to the feedback we get, whilst remaining true to our values.
That way, one day Black parents will no longer have to give the "You can be anything you want" speech to our children. Because, as Chris Rock said, it will be obvious.
If you have enjoyed this article, please share it with others who can benefit from it.
But I, and other Black children, knew that there were two Americas. The one that stood for liberty, equality and justice. And the other one.
The America in which we lived was one in which justice was denied and dreams were deferred.
Barack Obama is too young to recall the times when African American people were beaten for wanting to sit at a lunch counter, or threatened and even murdered for wanting to vote.
But he lives in a time where African American men are still disproportionately found in the prison system and on death row. And when prisoners' labour is still sold cheaply to major corporations such as Microsoft.
So what can we learn from Barack Obama's example?
He has not been defeated by low expectations based on history. He has cultivated successful thinking which led to successful actions.
President Obama has not allowed his perceived weaknesses to hold him back. When his opponents criticised him for his lack of experience, he turned this around and told us he represented change.
President Obama has been willing to ask the electorate what we want, and pay attention to the feedback he gets.
He has utilised new methods in order to achieve his goals. Unlike his main opponent, Senator McCain, Obama is noted for his use of new technology and the Internet. This particularly made him attractive to younger voters.
President Obama has stuck with his principles and his values. He has made a point of being inclusive by mobilising younger voters, particularly young African American people who frequently fail to vote or even register. This demographic often feel alienated from the whole electoral process, even when they are in a position to be able to vote.
President Obama has vision and he shared his vision effectively with the American people. He made it clear that he planned to be the President for all of the United States, rather than being a Black President specifically.
President Obama demonstrated his commitment to family values by including his wife and children in his campaign, and through his ongoing connections with both of his grandmothers.
These are some of the lessons African American people can learn from Obama's success. In order to be successful in any field, we need to be flexible. We need to turn our perceived weaknesses into strengths. We need to remember where we come from, honour our heritage, without being tied to the past. We need to use new and different methods. And we need to listen and pay attention to the feedback we get, whilst remaining true to our values.
That way, one day Black parents will no longer have to give the "You can be anything you want" speech to our children. Because, as Chris Rock said, it will be obvious.
If you have enjoyed this article, please share it with others who can benefit from it.
Leading from the Front
President Obama's style is definitely to lead from the front. He is highly courageous and breaking new ground seems to come naturally to him. Yet his work is all about inclusion, including as many different people and different types of people as possible, regardless of age, race or any other differences.
He is pushing for major reforms in healthcare which will benefit millions of Americans. 12,000 people per day lose their health insurance in the United States and are thus unable to access healthcare.
Click here to read about the President's recent speech on healthcare to the AARP.
He has made unprecedented moves towards improving relations with Muslim countries. This demonstrates his level of vision - it will be a safer world for everyone if we can live in peace with our Muslim neighbours.
Click here to watch a video of his speech in Egypt.
He is pushing for major reforms in healthcare which will benefit millions of Americans. 12,000 people per day lose their health insurance in the United States and are thus unable to access healthcare.
Click here to read about the President's recent speech on healthcare to the AARP.
He has made unprecedented moves towards improving relations with Muslim countries. This demonstrates his level of vision - it will be a safer world for everyone if we can live in peace with our Muslim neighbours.
Click here to watch a video of his speech in Egypt.
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Listing Black Success lenses helps us all to become more aware of our successes and achievements as people of African heritage.
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October is Black History Month in the United Kingdom. See below for resources. This year, with the election of President Obama, we have even more to celebrate than usual. The President has just made history again - by winning the Nobel Peace Prize...
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Looking for gifts that reflect you culturally? The 2009 Black Holiday Gifts Guide is even bigger and better than last year's. Compiled by Zhana, Editor of the More Black Success free ebooks, The African American Holiday Gifts Guide i...
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Allowing Success
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How can African American people achieve our goals? The more we dwell on our successes,the more successful we become. The Law of Attraction says that in order to achieve success, we need to vibrate at the level of success.
Resources
- Black Success
- Articles and blogs on how to achieve success.
- Success Strategies for Black People
- This book will help you to achieve your goals and realise your unlimited possibilities.
- Black Success Stories
- True stories of success and achievement.
- The Key to Confidence and Self-Esteem
- Article on how Black people can overcome our negative conditioning and create a positive self-image.
If you liked this, you might also like these titles
- Nonviolent Communication
- Nonviolent Communication: A Language of Life by Marshall Rosenberg. Click here to read my review.
- Success Strategies for Black People
- A book to help you realise your unlimited possibilities, achieve your goals and transform your life. Click here to read about how to get the best from this book.
- The Audacity of Hope
- The Audacity of Hope is Barack Obama's call for a new kind of politics-a politics that builds upon those shared understandings that pull us together as Americans. Lucid in his vision of America's place in the world, refreshingly candid about his family life and his time in the Senate, Obama here sets out his political convictions and inspires us to trust in the dogged optimism that has long defined us and that is our best hope going forward.
- Long Walk to Freedom
- The best-selling memoirs, begun during the South African president's years in prison, traces the Nobel Prize-winner's historic life from his traditional tribal childhood to his triumphant rise to power. Reprint. NYT.
Tags
Nobel Peace Prize
President Obama
African American
African American Success Story
Positive Black role model
leadership
leading from the front
What can African Americans learn from the success of Barack Obama?
What can African Americans learn from Black history?
Why did young African American people vote for Obama?
What changes have we seen in President Obama's first year in office?
Egypt
Egypt speech
Beyonce
Chris Rock on parenting
President Obama
African American
African American Success Story
Positive Black role model
leadership
leading from the front
What can African Americans learn from the success of Barack Obama?
What can African Americans learn from Black history?
Why did young African American people vote for Obama?
What changes have we seen in President Obama's first year in office?
Egypt
Egypt speech
Beyonce
Chris Rock on parenting
Reader Feedback
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- jenningsee jenningsee Jan 26, 2009 @ 2:31 pm
- Well said! An excellent summation of Barack Obama's strengths and his appeal to voters of all ages and ethnicities, and especially to African Americans.
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Reply
- IcemanBaldy IcemanBaldy Jan 4, 2009 @ 2:18 pm
- Great lens! It has been added to http://squidoo.com/groups/blacksquidoo
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- Jan 3, 2009 @ 3:51 pm
- I like your lens on Barack Obama very much. I'm giving you 5 stars and placing it in my favorites. I am also approving you for membership into the Squidoo Group, "African Americans and Blacks Worldwide".
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