AFTER GRADUATING FROM HARVARD, OBAMA PRACTICED LAW IN CHICAGO, SPECIALIZING IN CIVIL RIGHTS ISSUES.
His nick name was barry
Family background. Barack Hussein Obama, Jr., was born on Aug. 4, 1961, in Honolulu. His first name comes from the Swahili word baraka, which means blessing.
Obama’s father, Barack Hussein Obama, Sr. (1936-1982), was born in the village of Nyang’oma Kogelo, near Kisumu, in western Kenya. His family were members of the Luo, one of the country’s largest ethnic groups.
Obama did have some successes in the Illinois Senate, notably in ethics reform and criminal justice issues.