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Article: Barack Obama: new political star attracts national attention.(The 50 Most Intriguing Blacks Of 2004)(Biography)
- Article from:
- Ebony
- Article date:
- November 1, 2004
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2004 Johnson Publishing Co. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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IN his father's native language, the name means "Blessed." In Hebrew, it means flash of lightning. In English, the name will soon mean United States Senator.
Barack Obama is heavily favored to become the country's only Black Senator in November and only the third Black United States Senator since Reconstruction. At press time, Obama enjoyed a wide lead in the Illinois polls over the Republican draftee candidate Alan Keyes. And for Obama, an Illinois state senator, it was 15 years of labor in the vineyards that fueled his "overnight" success.
Obama, 43, is a community organizer, a civil rights attorney and a state senator, who fought and won a tough ...