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3.1.25 - Part 1 · Children's Hour

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Speaker 1: Hello, and welcome to Realized Children's Story Hour as a
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Reminder is a reading service intended for people who are
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blind or of other disabilities that make it difficult to
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read printed material. Today we will be reading from various
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books on black Americans. Your reader today is Diane. We
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will continue with the book Muhammad Ali Sports Unite US.
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It was published by Cherry Lake Publishing. It has the
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copyright year of twenty nineteen and the author of our
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book is Jay E. Skinner. Chapter two Fast Fist and
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Political Proclamations. After only six years as a boxer, Clay
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was still an amateur when he entered the nineteen sixty
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Rome Olympics at age eighteen. He won all four of
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his fights and became the Olympic light heavyweight champion. Boxing
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took note of Clay's quick and powerful jabs, which delighted
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onlookers and intimidated opponents. Clay won his first professional bout
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on October twenty ninth, nineteen sixty, to police officer Tunny Homesaker,
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just one month after his Olympic win. Clay opened up
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a cut over Homesaker's eye, which swelled shut. Clay easily
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won the flight. Homesaker praised Clay, saying he's awfully good
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for an eighteen year old and as fast as in middleweight.
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Ali was undefeated for the next eighteen fights until the
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end of nineteen sixty three. Of those wins, fifteen were
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by knockout. Fans marveled at Ali's speed and nibbleness and
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his impressive knockout record. Along with boxing, Ali was in
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the news because he spoke about slavery and how poorly
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African Americans were treated in the United States. In nineteen
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sixty one, Ali joined the Nation of Islam, an African
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American Muslim group. The Nation of Islam said that violence
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might be necessary to bring about equality, both socially and
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in the workplace. The group spoke openly about the evils
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of slavery. They thought that African Americans should fight against
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racism in the United States. The Nation of Islam encouraged
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African Americans to fight for equality. Ali became friends with
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Martin Luther King Junior, and Malcolm X, two pioneers of
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the civil rights movement. King and Malcolm X disagreed with
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how to win black freedom. King won a peaceful protest.
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Malcolm X was part of the Nation of Islam and
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supported violence if necessary. Clay supported Malcolm X. On February
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twenty fifth, nineteen sixty four, Clay sought to dethrone Sonny
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Liston as heavyweight champion. Clay arrogantly claimed that Liston was
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too ugly to be the world champion. The world champs
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should be pretty like me. Liston couldn't handle Clay's speed
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in hard punches. One of his eyes was swollen shut.
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Liston also spranged his shoulder in the fight. Listener refused
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to fight in the seventh round due to his shoulder
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and swollen eye. Clay became the heavyweight champion. This wind
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continued Clay's undefeated streak. Ali proved himself with each fight
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that he was one of the best boxers who had
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ever lived. The day after he defeated Liston, Clay announced
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that he had changed his name to Mohammed Ali. Chapter three.
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The Coward and the Hero. Ali stayed in the news
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throughout most of the nineteen sixties. Of his twenty nine
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trade wins from nineteen sixty to nineteen sixty seven, Ali
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knocked out twenty three of those opponents. African Americans cheered
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as bravery both in and out of the ring, he
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fought against tough opponents and won every bout. Politically, African
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Americans were grateful to have such an influential person addressing
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slavery and segregation. Younger white Americans favored Ali as well,
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both for his athletic prowess and for their belief his
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belief that segregation should end. Both white Americans and African
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Americans found an unlikely champion Ali when he refused to
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fight in the Vietnam War. The Vietnam War began on
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November one, nineteen fifty five, and ended on April thirtieth,
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nineteen seventy five. Americans joined the war to fight communists
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North Vietnam from invading South Vietnam. By nineteen sixty seven,
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American support for the war was heavily divided. Some Americans
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wanted to keep fighting. Others, mostly minorities and young white Americans,
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fought the draft and called for an inch to the battle.
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On April twenty eighth, nineteen sixty seven, Ali showed up
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for the draft, but refused to step forward when his
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name was called. Ali said fighting went against the teachings
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of Quaran, the Muslim Holy book. Ali worried that African
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Americans would get hurt if they went to war. Ali
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didn't want African Americans to see him sign up to
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fight because that might feel obligated. They might feel obligated too.
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He also thought Americans needed to focus on racism the
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United States first, then they could focus on world affairs.
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Although many Americans respected his choice, there were several groups
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of people who called him a coward for not fighting
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for his country. Ali was immediately arrested. He was banned
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from box in the United States for three years. Ali
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had to pay a ten thousand dollars fine to the
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State of New York. In today's money, that would be
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almost seventy five thousand. He was ordered to go to
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prison for five years, but he appealed the decision. Ali
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never ended up going to prison, However, the New York
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State Athletic Commission suspended his boxing license for three years.
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The World Boxing Associations tripped him of his heavy weight titles.
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Ali lost millions of dollars for fights he would have
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fought if he hadn't been suspended from boxing. Experts think
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those years would have been his most successful fighting years,
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since he couldn't fight. Another boxer named Joe Fraser became
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the heavyweight champion Chapter four, giving Americans hope. In the
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late nineteen seventies and into the eighties, Ali's behavior and
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movements changed significantly. From a swift footed powerhouse, Ali's gait
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became slow and shuffling. He trembled and shook. Ali's speech slurred,
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and he had troubled talking. Unable to fight, Ali retired
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from boxing in nineteen oy one. It wasn't until three
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years later, at the age of forty two, that Ali
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was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. The diagnosis him as hard
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as the punches he used to throw. Like a true champion,
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Ali met the hardship straight on, refusing to back down.
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Instead of hiding from his disease, Ali once again put
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himself in the public eye. He drew attention to Parkinson's
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and called for research into the disease. In nineteen ninety eight,
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Ali teamed up with Michael J. Fox, a well known
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actor of diagnosed with Parkinson's at twenty nine years of age.
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In two thousand and two, they testify before Congress to
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raise awareness and fund research for the disease. The Muhammad
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Ali Parkinson Center was set up in Ali's honor to
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help those with Parkinson's. A patient of the Sinner said
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of Ali, He's such a fighter, not just in the ring,
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but in his life. It's an inspiration to asaul. Ali
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also spent considerable time working with underdeveloped countries. In nineteen
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ninety eight, he traveled to Cuba with the Disarmed Education Fund.
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The fund uses donations and slepty volunteers to encourage governments
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to focus on the rights and needs of their citizens.
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Ali worked with a Disarmed Education Fund to deliver one
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point two million worth of food and medicine to the
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Cuban people. The Cuban President Aidel Castro called Ali's visit
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a great moral gesture. Ali saw this visit as an
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opportunity to protest the American embargo of Cuban goods. Muhammed
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and Ali received an audience with Pope John Paul the
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Second at the Vatican in nineteen eighty two. He met
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with the Dali Lama in two thousand and three to
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dedicate the field of Compassion in her faith temple in Bloomington, Indiana.
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Although a devout Muslim, Ali wanted these leaders to talk
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openly about their experiences and cultures. He hoped the discussion
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would lead to greater understanding and tolerance of other cultures
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and beliefs. In nineteen ninety, Ali used his fame to
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negotiate and return fifteen hostages trapped in Iraq. Many Americans
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were not sure that Ali would succeed. They feared those
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people would get hurt. However, Ali did amazing work and
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saved every hostage. Many Americans were proud that he used
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his fame to protect his fellow Americans. Chapter five, The
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Greatest Muhammad Ali had six beliefs he thought were important.
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They were confidence, conviction, dedication, giving, respect, and spirituality. Confidence
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means that a person believes in themselves and knows that
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they are good at what they do. Conviction is a
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belief that a person feels very strongly about. Dedication is
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a strong support for someone or something. Giving means that
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a person shares what they have because they like to
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be kind and help others. Respect means that a person
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accepts others people's ideas and feelings. Spirituality has to do
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with what people believe about their souls or their spirit
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Muhammedi had very strong feelings about these beliefs. He wanted
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to teach others about them. He thought it could help
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people treat each other and themselves better. Ali believed that
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people should have strong beliefs but also respect other people's beliefs.
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He set up the Muhammad Ali to teach people how
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to use these beliefs to inspire others. The center holds
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many programs designed to enrich the lives of those living
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in the community. One such program is the Daughter sub Greatness.
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The Ali Center periodically promotes women who talk about the
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impact they have made in different communities. These women range
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in their careers from social work to acting, to business
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and investing. The women speaking at these events seek to encourage, inspire,
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and change the way women think about themselves and how
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they interact with the world. Another program from the center
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was inspired by an event from Ali's childhood. When his
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red bike was stolen. Ali reported to a policeman that
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he would whoop whoever stole it. The officer, Joe Martin,
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told Ali he needed to learn how to fight before
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he could whoop anyone. He trained Ali for the next
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six years. Ali pursued a career in boxing. He used
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to statue status as a celebrity to bring awareness to
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racism in the United States. Although Alis started as a
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fire he became a pacifist and turd the world, bringing
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a message of peace and unity. The Red Bike Moment
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program helps youth identify moment in their lives when they
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felt strong and empowered to make a change in their lives.
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Youth can share stories with each other and inspire others
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in the community to find their own Red Bike Moment.
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Communities can use these moments to empire themselves and serve
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the needs of their citizens. Our next book is Who
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Is Barack Obama? And it was published by Penguin Workshop
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and in print of Penguin Random House. It has a
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copyright year of twenty ten to twenty seventeen and the
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author is for ROBERTA. Edwards. Who Is Barack Obama? There
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once was a young man who was a student at
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Columbia University and never lived in New York before nineteen
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eighty one, and for a year he's been his free
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time walking all around the city. He was not only
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interested in seeing famous sights like the Statue of Liberty
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that many tourists visited, but he also wanted to visit
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other parts of the city, like Harlem. Harlem is a
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famous neighborhood where many black families have lived since the
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nineteen twenties. The young man visited historic churches and the
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Apollo Theater. He heard Jesse Jackson, the civil rights leader,
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give a speech. On his long walks, the young man
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kept looking at people. He hoped to find where he
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fit in. The young man's name was Barack Obama, Tom
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Skinning with an afro. He was half white and half black.
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Often he felt he didn't belong anywhere. He was unsure
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of his future. What would he make of his life
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back in nineteen eighty one? If someone has said, guess
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who would be present of the United States in less
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than thirty years, Barack would never have said me. Yet
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on January twentieth, two thousand and nine, that is, that
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is exactly what happened for Rock Hussain, Obama was sworn
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in as the forty fourth president. Imagine how surprised that
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college kid would be to find himself living in the
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White House. Chapter one. Born in Paradise. Hawaii is a
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group of islands that lie in the Pacific Ocean. Hawaii
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became a state in nineteen fifty nine, the same year
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as Alaska. The closest state to Hawaii is California, but
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they are more than two thousand miles apart. The weather
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in Hawaii is beautiful all year long. Tropical flowers make
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the air smell sweet. There are palm trees and beautiful beaches.
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Even in the early morning, surfers are out right in
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the waves. They go surfing before school starts. Honolulu is
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the capital of Hawaii. This is where Barack Obama was
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born on August fourth, nineteen sixty one. Baraq's first name
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means blessed in Swali. In African language, Barack was his
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father's name, TiO, but neither of the baby's parents called
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him Barock. He was always Barry. Barry's father was born
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from Kenya, a country in Africa. He had come to
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White to study at the University of White He met
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an eighteen year old girl who was a student there too.
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She lived in Honolulu with her parents. Her name was
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Stanley Anne Dunham. Why Stanley Stanley was her father's name.
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He had wanted a boy, so he named his only
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child Stanley, but she was known as Anne to her friends.
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Anne and Barack met, fell in love, and got married.
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There was nothing unusual about that, except this happened in
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nineteen sixty one. Anne was white Barack was black. Back then,
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very few people of different races decided to marry each other.
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In fact, in some states, it was illegal. Anne's parents
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were fairly open minded people. They accepted their new son
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in law. He was smart and interesting, and they adored
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their chubby baby grandson. Little Barry grew up calling them
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gramps and twos. In Hawaiian, too too means grandmother. In Hawaii,
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many people have brown skin, so Berry didn't look or
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feel very different at the beach. Graham's liked to fool
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Teris by saying Berry was the great grandson of a
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famous Hawaiian king. When Barry was two years old, his
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parents split up. His father wanted to stay at Harvard
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University in Massachusetts, that was more than five thousand miles
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away from Hawaii. Eventually, Barak wanted to return to Kenya
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with Anne and Barry, but Anne did not want to
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live in a small village in Africa, so she stayed
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in Hawaii with her young son. Barry was ten years
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old before he saw his father again. He had photos
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of Barak as well as the stories that his mom
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and grandparents told him about his father, but it wasn't enough.
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Barry felt as if there was a big hole in
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his heart. Chapter two, Lo, Lo and Maya. In nineteen
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sixty seven, Barry's mother married man named Lolo Storra. In
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Hawaiian slang, the word lolo means crazy. Grahams thought that
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was a riot. Lolo came from Indonesia, a country in
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the Pacific made up of many islands. Lolo had been
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studying at the University of Habawaii. That's where he and
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Anne met Little Berry like Lolo right away. When Lolo
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returned to Indonesia, Anne and Barry went to Anne was
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ready to move away from her parents and become more independent.
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Living in Shakarta, the capital of Indonesia, was a great
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adventure for a six year old boy. Lolo got Barry
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a pet. Was it a puppy or kitten? No, Lolo
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got very a little eight named Tata. Tata loved to
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swing from the branches in the trees above their house.
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Chickens and ducks lived in the yard. Alligators too. Barry
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also got a baby's sister, Maya, was born on August fifteenth,
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nineteen seventy. Barry went to a local public school for
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two years and then took Catholic school in both first
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grade and third grade. He wrote that he wanted to
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be president when he grew up. Many kids say that,
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but in Barry's case, it really came true. Today, turnbuses
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stop at the schools where he went, and passed the
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small house where his family lived. Barry's mother was now
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a teacher. Lola was a businessman. He was a good stepfather.
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He thought of Barry as his own son. When an
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older boy picked on Barry, Lolo bought two pairs of
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boxing gloves, a big pair for himself and a little
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pair for Barry. He wanted to make sure Barry could
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stand up for himself, so he taught him how to box.
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Anne was concerned that Barry might fall behind in English,
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so every day she woke him up at four o'clock
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in the morning to give him English lessons before school.
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Barry would try anything he could to get out of
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his lessons, but Anne never listened to excuses. She told Barry,
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this is no picnic for me either. Buster. She also
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taught him American history. Most of all, she wanted him
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to know about the black civil rights movement. Even though
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Barry lived thousands of miles away, he was still a
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United States citizen. He needed to be aware of the
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great changes taking place in his country. She told him
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about civil rights leader like Martin Luther King Junior. What
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exactly are civil rights? The right to vote is one,
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so is the right to a decent education and a
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decent job. For a long time the United States, African
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Americans were denied these basic rights, But in the nineteen sixties,
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new laws were passed to provide equal rights to black people.
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The Civil Rights Act was passed in nineteen sixty four,
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the Voting Rights Law in nineteen sixty five. Because of
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his mother, nine year old Berry began to understand what
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being black meant in the United States. Chapter three, Back
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to Hawaii. The longer the family stayed in Jakarta, the
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more Ann worried about her son. Barry was right, he
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belonged to a better school. With help from Graham's boss,
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Barry won a place at a top private school in Hawaii,
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the Bonahu School. So Anne sent Barry back alone to
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live with his grandparents. Barry had never been separated from
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his mother before he was only ten. His first day
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at the new school was every kid's nightmare. He felt
19:20
like a freak. The other kids laughed at him, Barack Obama?
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What kind of name was that? His clothes weren't right,
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he wasn't rich like most of the kids, and there
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was only one other black student, a girl in his class.
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Barry tried his best to fit in and find friends. Mostly,
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he tried not to stick out too much. On top
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of everything he was dealing with at school, Barry also
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found out that his father was coming to visit. Barry
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had not seen him in eight years. What did he remember?
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Not much. The stories his mother told made his father
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sound strong and heroic, like an African prince. Yet the
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man he met was very thin and had a small
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beard and worth thick glasses. Because of a bad car accident,
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he walked with a cane. The elder Barack Obama was
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nothing like what his son had imagined. Barack Obama Senior
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remained in Hawaii for one month. Anne was in Hawaii
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for this family union too. Barry's father stayed with two
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in grams. It was not an easy time for Barry.
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One day, after his homework was done, Barry went to
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watch TV, but his dad said Barry should read instead
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because TV was a waste of time. Oh how Barry
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resented being told what to do. What right did his
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dad have to suddenly show up and order him around.
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His father also planned to come to Berry's new school
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and speak to his class. He was going to talk
20:41
about life in Kenya. Many years later, Barry wrote, I
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couldn't imagine anything worse. What would everybody think of his dad?
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But the kids loved hearing about Africa. They were fascinated
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by the mud hudson of his father's tiny village in Kenya,
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and they were amazed that in Kenya animals like elephants, lions,
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buffalo and hippos lived in the wild, not in zoos.
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At the end of Barock Singer's talk, everyone clapped. One
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boy told Barry that his dad was cool. But actually
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Barry didn't need to be told. He saw that for himself.
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After that day, Barry got along much better with his father.
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In the afternoons, they sit together and read. His father
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taught him how to dance in the African style. His
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dad had a limp, but he still could move. After
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their month together, Barock Singior returned to Kenya. Barry didn't
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know it at the time, but he would never see
21:38
his father again. Chapter four. Growing up. By the time
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he was a teenager, Barry had settled into life at Punu.
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Kids liked him and he was on the basketball team.
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That meant a lot to him, not just because it
21:53
was fun to play a game at which he was good.
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Being part of a group made him feel like he belonged.
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His nickname was Barry Obama because of his great jump shot.
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His mom was no longer married to Lolo, and she
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and Maya returned to Hawaii. Ann found a small apartment
22:09
and moved in, and Barry moved into. After three years,
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Anne decided to move again, back to Jakarta. Anne was
22:16
studying for a PhD in anthropology, which is a study
22:20
of different cultures. She needed to return to Indonesia to
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write about the life of rural women living there. She
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wanted Barry to go back to There was a good
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American school now in Jakarta, but Barry said no. He
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wanted to stay in Hawaii, so he moved back in
22:37
with Twot and Gramps. In June nineteen seventy nine. He
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graduated from Panua. That fill he started college at Ocidental,
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a small co ed school near Pasadena, California. For the
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first time in his life, Barry was living on the
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mainland of the United States. Barry had never worked very
22:57
hard in high school. He was very smart, but he
22:59
didn't push himself to be a top student. However, he
23:03
did love to read. Like his mother. He was interested
23:06
in American history, especially black history. He read books by
23:11
famous black writers like Langston Hughes and Richard Wright. He
23:14
also read about the life of Malcolm X. Most civil
23:18
rights leaders, like Martin Luther King Jr. Wanted blacks and
23:21
whites to live together as equals, not Malcolm X. He
23:25
believed blacks would grow stronger by separating themselves from white people.
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As for Barry Obama, he was trying to figure out
23:32
what made sense to him. At Oxy, the nickname for
23:38
the college, Barry hung out with other black students. They
23:41
talked a lot about politics. He became interested in South Africa.
23:45
In that country, black people were kept completely apart from
23:49
white's under a terrible system known as apart type. It
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wasn't until nineteen ninety four that South Africa had elections
23:56
where people of all races could vote. Very invited speakers
24:00
to come talk about South Africa. He decided to speak
24:03
out about Aparthei two. In his first speech, He knows
24:06
that the audience was really listening to him. He liked
24:09
seeing the power of his words. For the first time,
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he began calling himself Barock, partly because a beautiful older
24:16
girl told him it was a great name, but also
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because he now felt that it was a great name too,
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a name that belonged to him. Chapter five, City Life.
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After two years at Oxley, Barock transferred to Columbia University.
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His campus is on the upper west side of Manhattan,
24:35
close to Harlem. On his walks around the city, Barock
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saw other black neighborhoods. He saw families living in terrible poverty,
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right here in America, not South Africa. Barock worked hard
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at Columbia. He also ran three miles a day. He
24:49
kept a diary of his thoughts and experiences. He was
24:53
becoming a more serious, mature person. In the summer, Barrock
24:56
worked at a construction site. His mother and sister came
25:00
to New York for a long visit. They'd spend evenings
25:03
with Barack. A letter had come from Barrock's father. For
25:06
several years, the two had hardly been in touch. However,
25:09
in this letter, the elder Obama asked his son to
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visit him. Barack agreed to go to Kenya after graduation
25:16
was the chance to get to know his father better.
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When Barack told Anne about his plans, she was thrilled.
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She hoped the two men could become close. But in
25:25
nineteen ey two, one year before Barack graduated, Barack Obama
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Senior died in a car accident. He was only forty
25:33
six years old. Losing a parent is always hard, no
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matter how old a child is. The depth of his
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father made Barack take life more seriously. He gave more
25:43
thought to his future. What did he want to do
25:46
after college? How could he make a difference in the world.
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He needed to make enough money to pay off student loans,
25:52
but after that, he wanted to help black communities. He
25:55
hoped to make poor people's lives better. After graduating from Columbia,
26:00
up Rock moved to Chicago, Illinois. He became a community organizer.
26:04
His job was to work directly with poor people to
26:07
fix problems. What kind of problems. Maybe a landlord in
26:11
an apartment wasn't giving proper heat to tenants. Maybe gangs
26:15
were making people afraid to leave their homes. Maybe a
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neighborhood needed training program for people without jobs. We will
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have to finish this story next time. This concludes our
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story our for today. Please join us next time as
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we will read more stories, fables and fairy tales. Thank
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you for listening and please stay tuned for the Lexing
26:37
Hair Leader on Radio I