Why is Barack Obama an important African American?

Answer 1

America is a country with a very complicated racial history. On the one hand, some black people even back 150 years ago became journalists and educators and members of the military. But on the other hand, America was a segregated country, where southern blacks were kept as slaves by white people until the end of the Civil War, and then segregated into ghettos where they received a poor education and had few opportunities to advance. And even up north, where there was no official policy of segregation, most people of color were subjected to prejudice and discrimination; some black people attended college or had interesting careers, but most were relegated to menial jobs and stereotyped as less intelligent than white people. It took a long time for black people to gain any political influence, and an even longer time before there were black governors or mayors; and there were just a handful of black people who had served in congress well into the 1990s.

For many Americans, the election of Barack Obama to the presidency-- the most influential and important position in this country-- was a sign that black people had finally achieved equal respect and opportunity. Many white people voted for Mr. Obama: in fact, his supporters included people of all races, ethnic and religious groups, and socioeconomic backgrounds. But as many of us were all too aware, while having a black president was an amazing achievement and showed how far America had come, it did not mean prejudice and racism were now a thing of the past. In fact, Mr. Obama himself was the victim of racist slurs and insults from some of his political opponents, and not everyone in the US was happy to see a black man in the office of the presidency. But it cannot be denied that his election was a hopeful and joyful occasion for many black people. And for a country that at one time had black slaves, it was definitely a positive step to not only elect a black president-- but to then re-elect him four years later.

Answer 2

Barack Obama is an important African American because he was the first African-American President of the United States.

Answer 3

It proves that under the right conditions, anyone can become president. The US is the land of opportunity. Work hard, strive for your goals.