Barack Obama's grandmother blazed her own trail

[bigtree]

By Dan Nakaso, USA TODAY

HONOLULU — Barack Obama's trailblazing effort to become the nation's first black president has a family precedent.

Madelyn Dunham, Obama's grandmother, blazed a feminist trail in Hawaii banking circles in the late 1960s and early 1970s and rose to become one of the Bank of Hawaii's first female vice presidents.

Durham, now 85 and living in Honolulu along with her granddaughter and Obama's half-sister, Maya Soetoro-Ng, had two obstacles to overcome in Hawaii at the time — being a woman and being part of the state's white minority.

"Was she ambitious? She had to be to become a vice president," said Clifford Y.J. Kong, 82, who was a senior credit officer at the bank at the time. "She was a top-notch executive to get appointed. It was a tough world."

Obama and Soetoro-Ng lived with their grandparents Stanley and Madelyn Dunham, and later with their mother, Ann Dunham, in 1970s Honolulu, where white people were routinely the target of discrimination.

Sam Slom, a Bank of Hawaii economist then, who is now a Republican state senator in Hawaii, recalls that as a part of the white — or "haole" — minority in Hawaii, he would regularly see housing ads that made no effort to hide racial preferences. He says he remembers ads that read, "No haoles" or "AJAs (Americans of Japanese ancestry) Only" or "No Japanese."

"That's the way it was," Slom said. "Did people talk about race? We had local jokes … like that 'pake' (Chinese) guy or the 'yobo' (Korean) who did this or that. I certainly got my share of haole jokes."




Dunham was born Madelyn Payne in Peru, Kan., on Oct. 26, 1922. When she was 3 years old, Payne's family moved to Augusta, Kan., where young Madelyn was raised, Soetoro-Ng said. She married Stanley Armour Dunham in 1940. Madelyn Dunham attended college at the University of Washington before becoming an aircraft inspector for Boeing during World War II.

After the war, she attended UC-Berkeley, worked various jobs, then came to the Islands, where she joined the Bank of Hawaii in 1960.




related:

'Single mom' emerges as real mentor of young Obama
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=132&topic_id=5102427
http://news.scotsman.com/latestnews/39Single-mom39-emerges-as-real.3882899.jp

[tammywammy]

1. Nice post Bigtree!

[bigtree]

4. Where is your guy today?

he's not on the radar

[tammywammy]

9. I dunno, I've been working all day

I just got home an hour ago, and I'm watching My Name is Earl. ;)

[bigtree]

24. I'm glad they started the reruns.

I could never catch them at primetime. :thumbsup:

[AnnieBW]

2. Sounds like he comes from a line of strong women

I wish that some of the supporters of HRC who aren't going to vote for him if he wins the nomination could hear some of this stuff. His mother and grandmother were both remarkable women.

[TahitiNut]

14. I find it perplexing that the "feminsts" supporing Clinton haven't picked up on the tone of Obama's

... campaign. It's very evident to me that the strong mother and grandmother as well as the racial make-up of his family contributes greatly to the fact that he's chosen a campaign style that mostly reflects what we might call the "feminine" strengths of his personality make-up. (Basketball notwithstanding.)

I noted this before at http://journals.democraticunderground.com/TahitiNut/477

As we should all know, an emotionally balanced and mature person combines strengths from what we'd often call "masculine" or "feminine" traits. It seems to me that those we admire the most typically show such character.

Sometimes DU can seem strangely obtuse regarding such ephemerals.

[babylonsister]

29. Thanks. I do admire him, but you have brought attention to

his background I've never thought of. I like the guy, in a way I have yearned to like a guy for a long time. I like him and that has to be a relection on how he was raised.

[babylonsister]

3. Very nice post. I'm reading 'Dreams From My Father' now.

Obama hasn't talked about the white discrimination, but I lived in Guam 13 years ago, and it was alive and well. Not so much anti-white as non-Chamorro or in their case, non-Hawaiian. And the term 'haole' is still alive and well.

[bigtree]

6. I think she overcame sexism as she advanced

. . . as well as the racism which existed at the time.

My own mother was albino with fair skin and bluish eyes, although she came from a very dark-skinned African-American and a light-skinned mother. She took hits from both sides, all her life.

[babylonsister]

11. She went in early and got home late, for years!

I think 'Toot' was a secretary or teller when she started at that bank, and just kept moving up. That was before young upstarts started replacing the older, knowledgeable people. Another female role model.

Wow, your mom must have had lots of challenges. Have you ever written about them? If so, lead the way.

[Zachstar]

5. Good post! Nice to see some family history of this great candidate!

K&R

[Duder]

7. Great family

Barack Obama’s sister and brother-in-law

[Skittles]

21. wonderful picture!

:thumbsup:

[alphafemale]

33. awww! Look how Malia is holding the baby's hand!

And Barack's sister is leaning her head on his shoulder!

[grantcart]

8. fuckin outdone yourself ---- rec

[AtomicKitten]

10. His mother did too.

Strong women raised this amazing individual before us, and I really believe he is more of a feminist than Hillary because of their influence.

[TahitiNut]

17. Yup. (See my #14 above.)

... and http://journals.democraticunderground.com/TahitiNut/477

[AtomicKitten]

26. very astute analysis

It seems rather ironic to me that Obama is emphasizing the "feminine" ephemerals - relationships, cooperation, discussion, etc. - while Clinton is emphasizing the "masculine" ephemerals - actions, conflict, fighting, etc. It's probably noteworthy that Obama's major life ('formative') influences were his mother and grandmother - where exploring his patrilineal roots was a process of discovery later in life. It seems that Bill Clinton had a somewhat similar upbringing ... and Hillary is Daddy's Little Princess. Hillary clearly eschews the "cookie baking" homemaker - a nurturing role model - in favor of the more masculine stereotypical aspects.

I find that quite remarkable, myself.

* I agree, and this is a clinical analysis as opposed to being "mean to Hillary" as some seem to think everything not pro-Hillary is these days.

:hi:

[TahitiNut]

28. Thanks. Again, I think it's strange that I'm the only(?) person who's made note of this.

It seems quite evident to me in the male/female dialecticism ... and there's probably a similar (although far less evident) analysis one could perform vis a vis race. After all, Bill Clinton WAS called "the first black President" and Obama really didn't have what we'd consider the "typical" black experience growing up in post-BrownvBoE America.

If it weren't for their policy similarities (both mildly right-of-center), I'd find myself in an easier place - instead of being a bit turned off. I remain a Kucinich supporter - he earns it.

[AtomicKitten]

31. The Kooch has already hit the jackpot.

:) I would be thrilled if he got his Department of Peace.



Obama's platform is complex and in part undefinable, and I am hopeful he will be a great president.
At the very least, he throws a monkeywrench in dynasty.

Cheers.

[Skittles]

20. here's an idea

how about complimenting Obama without tearing down Hillary. How about that?

[AtomicKitten]

25. here's an idea

Why not just post under my screen name and get it just the way you like it.

[Skittles]

27. uh huh

oh, that's just...SO good :crazy:

[cliffordu]

12. Great stuff, K&R!!!

:patriot:

[goclark]

13. He has wonderful genes nt

[hisownpetard]

15. Enthusiastic K&R! (And, since it seems a propos, I'm going to re-post an OP from about a month back

which was a tribute to his mother. Hope that's ok to do).





hisownpetard's Journal
Her name was Stanley.

Posted by hisownpetard in General Discussion: Primaries
Sat Mar 22nd 2008, 07:19 PM

Stanley Anne Dunham - the mother of Barack Obama - to whom I would like to say, simply, 'Thank you."

It struck me recently, after listening to Obama's speech on race, that this is a man who's entire being seems to be steeped
in fairness - a character trait which is almost non-existent in most people we call 'politicians.' I believe that this trait was passed on
to him by example through his mother who, unfortunately, is not here to witness how well he learned that lesson.

I base this on the fact that Obama said, when writing his first book, he would give the draft of each chapter to his mother to read.
Although she never commented on any statements he made pertaining to her, she did try to explain to him, concerning some statements he
made about his father, that he wasn't being quite as fair as he could be and asked him to correct what he wrote.

This, mind you, about a man who chose to advance his education by accepting a scholarship to Harvard, leaving his wife to raise their 2-year-old
son on her own and basically disappearing from his son's life, not seeing his child again until he was ten.

Barack has said that, afterwords, he regretted that he didn't focus his books more on the parent that stayed than the one who didn't.
But, somehow, I think his mother would be fine with that.

Perhaps this background is the reason why Obama seems to approach every problem evenly, not in the heavy-handed way we've become used to in this
country but in a way that is all-inclusive, allowing everyone a voice and a say in the matter, however divergent their opinions may be.

I believe this is why he was able to understand the frame of reference of Rev. Wright and people of his generation regarding problems of race.
Obama doesn't agree with the more incendiary things that Wright has said, but he doesn't come down with an iron fist against the people who do think that way,
any more than he would have disowned his white grandmother who occasionally made remarks that made him "cringe."

This background, steeped in tolerance for diametrically opposed views, has enabled Barack Obama to be seen by thousands upon thousands of Americans
as a viable agent of change at a time when this country has been beaten to a pulp for years by people in power who are capable of getting a good night's sleep
even as Americans and Iraqis are getting killed without cause. People who, when confronted with a question about the fact that 2/3 of all Americans do not
approve of the way the war is being handled can smirk and say, "So?" People who thrive on political dirty tricks, stolen elections, endless lies and distortions,
and other egregious offenses that go on and on and on. We all know the list by heart.

I believe, in my heart, that Sen. Obama would be incapable of committing this sort of act against America. His character would not permit him to.
And for that, I say 'thank you' - to him, for sure, and to the woman who showed him how to live a life that honors one's ideals by honoring others.

I cannot wait to vote for him for President of the United States of America.

[slinkerwink]

16. great post!

[tekisui]

18. I've said it before...you're a good egg bigtree!! knr.

[me b zola]

19. There is so much to be admired about the family of Barack Obama

To the strong women who made Barack the man that he is :toast:

[kwenu]

22. Now I bet she's had a lot of kitchen sinks thrown at her in her time and she still succeeded.

[indie_voter]

23. You are an example for us all bigtree. Thanks. n/t

[bhikkhu]

30. K&R. I love stories like this.

My dad divorced my mom when I was 3, and he was stationed in Hawaii (USMC). He married a Hawaiian woman, and I went to live with them for two of my teenage years. She was a fine person, and an eye opener - I learned all about "haole" faults, and island ways, with a smile...

[grantcart]

32. my response

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x5424177

[Raine]

34. Inspirational family

no wonder Obama is geared toward success! :thumbsup:

[azmouse]

35. K&R

[politicasista]

36. K&R

Nice wedding pic of Barack, Michelle, and his grandmother. :)

[uponit7771]

37. As a North American black I find it true that if you're white you're a minority in Hawaii and your

...path is uphill when it comes to the populous there.

I love stories like this...