On June 23, 2008, I attended an Obama event held by the San Diego Lawyers for Obama/Young Democrats where Maya Soetoro-Ng, Barack Obama’s sister, was the campaign guest of honor.
Maya Soetoro-Ng was born to Lolo Soetoro, an Indonesian businessman, and Ann Dunham an American cultural anthropologist who is also Barack Obama's mother. Maya Soetoro-Ng also attended Punahou School. She later received her Ph.D. in Education from the University of Hawaii at Manoa in 2006. She is nine years younger than Barack Obama and has a different father.
Before the event started I got to speak with her for a bit. I told her where I was employed. She mentioned that she is a Kaiser member and that she gave birth to her daughter (Suhaila) at Kaiser. She went on to say that her and Barack’s Grandmother is also a Kaiser Member. She was quite kind and personable. She was shorter than expected. A bit of a spitfire.
Here are a few notes from Ms. Soetoro’s talk:
Their Grandma still lives in the same 950 square feet apartment where she helped raise Barack. (Both sets of parents and the grandfather have passed away) Maya believes Barack Obama is fulfilling his destiny. She looks to him for transformation, change in ethos. He has succeeded because he excels at communication... everything is changing.
She mentioned something about the book “The road” by Cormack McCarthy. She said Obama was a somewhat of a bossy brother and he still is but he is also extraordinarily nurturing. He wanted her to get the best education. He wanted her to be the best. After her parents divorced Barack Obama became “the man.” He took care of her, his mother and grandmother and later he took her to the South Side of Chicago. She took him to aerobics. (He may be agile on the basketball court but he is a klutz at aerobics.) She lived with him in 86 87.
Barack Obama introduced her to local folks in Chicago when he was a community organizer. Then he continued his path at the Harvard Law School. He has taught her well by example. Fiesta Del Sol…she spoke some in fairly fluent sounding Spanish. (I read somewhere that she learned Spanish because so many people look at her and think she is Latin.)
Obama took her around to colleges. He has engaged in service and service on behalf of women. She invites Hillary supporters to join the campaign and to be embraced by Obama’s feminism. Obama was raised by and around many women. Now he is supporting Johanna’s Law: The Gynecologic Cancer Education and Awareness Act. Their Mother died of ovarian cancer at age 52.
Maya's daughter calls Barack Obama “Uncle Rocky.” Barack is surrounded by women. Our Grandmother was the safety net for us. She was a Boeing inspector in WW2 while her husband was away at war. Then she became a bank mortgage VP at Bank of Hawaii. Their Grandmother gave them their pragmatism. Their Mother gave them their idealism.
Their mother was enhanced by opportunities in Indonesia. She was a pioneer of Micro finance for women. She is one of the people who gave Barack Obama his flexibility. Michelle is beautiful. Don’t believe the negative things. Check out www.fightthesmear.com Barack Obama comes from a diverse, loving compassionate rainbow family.
Wanted to say thank you to you all for being part of this extraordinary campaign. Please tell story and encourage them to read his books. To know, truly know him is to love him.
Maya Takes Questions:
Maya Soetoro-Ng was born to Lolo Soetoro, an Indonesian businessman, and Ann Dunham an American cultural anthropologist who is also Barack Obama's mother. Maya Soetoro-Ng also attended Punahou School. She later received her Ph.D. in Education from the University of Hawaii at Manoa in 2006. She is nine years younger than Barack Obama and has a different father.
Before the event started I got to speak with her for a bit. I told her where I was employed. She mentioned that she is a Kaiser member and that she gave birth to her daughter (Suhaila) at Kaiser. She went on to say that her and Barack’s Grandmother is also a Kaiser Member. She was quite kind and personable. She was shorter than expected. A bit of a spitfire.
Here are a few notes from Ms. Soetoro’s talk:
Their Grandma still lives in the same 950 square feet apartment where she helped raise Barack. (Both sets of parents and the grandfather have passed away) Maya believes Barack Obama is fulfilling his destiny. She looks to him for transformation, change in ethos. He has succeeded because he excels at communication... everything is changing.
She mentioned something about the book “The road” by Cormack McCarthy. She said Obama was a somewhat of a bossy brother and he still is but he is also extraordinarily nurturing. He wanted her to get the best education. He wanted her to be the best. After her parents divorced Barack Obama became “the man.” He took care of her, his mother and grandmother and later he took her to the South Side of Chicago. She took him to aerobics. (He may be agile on the basketball court but he is a klutz at aerobics.) She lived with him in 86 87.
Barack Obama introduced her to local folks in Chicago when he was a community organizer. Then he continued his path at the Harvard Law School. He has taught her well by example. Fiesta Del Sol…she spoke some in fairly fluent sounding Spanish. (I read somewhere that she learned Spanish because so many people look at her and think she is Latin.)
Obama took her around to colleges. He has engaged in service and service on behalf of women. She invites Hillary supporters to join the campaign and to be embraced by Obama’s feminism. Obama was raised by and around many women. Now he is supporting Johanna’s Law: The Gynecologic Cancer Education and Awareness Act. Their Mother died of ovarian cancer at age 52.
Maya's daughter calls Barack Obama “Uncle Rocky.” Barack is surrounded by women. Our Grandmother was the safety net for us. She was a Boeing inspector in WW2 while her husband was away at war. Then she became a bank mortgage VP at Bank of Hawaii. Their Grandmother gave them their pragmatism. Their Mother gave them their idealism.
Their mother was enhanced by opportunities in Indonesia. She was a pioneer of Micro finance for women. She is one of the people who gave Barack Obama his flexibility. Michelle is beautiful. Don’t believe the negative things. Check out www.fightthesmear.com Barack Obama comes from a diverse, loving compassionate rainbow family.
Wanted to say thank you to you all for being part of this extraordinary campaign. Please tell story and encourage them to read his books. To know, truly know him is to love him.
Maya Takes Questions:
Q: Where does uncle Rocky come from?
A: She couldn’t say Barack and it grew from there.
Q: If Barack wins how will this change your life?
A: He will be so busy. I will miss him. I am giving him up for a greater cause. (She wants him back in 9 years.) She says Michelle Obama is sensible. Living in Hawaii gives Maya a certain measure of privacy and distance. I will still teach and do my thing but enjoy this time of meeting so many people and hearing them tell stories. I find it Impossible to see all this excitement and still feel cynical. Our stories are quintessential stories. We believe in transformative possibility of education. With it anyone can be anything.
Q: (Latino person) 68 percent of Latino here in San Diego are for Barack. What can we do to not let the extreme right divide and conquer?
A: Keep doing what you are doing. She speaks some in fluent Spanish. She mentions his father from Africa and the mixed Races. She feels that with their mixed heritages Latinos can really relate to them. Asks them to keep working hard.
Q: A teacher was complaining about something…(couldn’t hear the question.) what one thing......?
A: I reviewed and approved his education plan. (laughter) He sat down with so many teachers in addition to me. (She was a public school teacher in NY then in HI, now teaching at a private all girls school La Pietra, School for girls.) Middle schoolers are crazy and they need a lot of attention. Pay for performance concerns--regarding teacher incentive pay, its been misinterpreted. There are many extra things teachers do that they should get paid for that they do not. If they create a curriculum that works, they should be paid for it. If they mentor someone they should be paid for it. etc.
Q: Highly emotional hyper woman talked about how SHE and many other older women had been for Barack Obama since he gave his speech at the Democratic National Convention. She complained that there are all these older women who had been for Obama all along that Fox News does not admit are there.
A: There was not really a question to answer. People clapped. I think I am one of those people. There was not really any other 2008 candidate who interested me as much as Obama does.
Q: Is Obama vulnerable on Foreign policy?
A: He is internationally appreciated, He has an international perspective.
He listens hard and well and attracts good people around him. I know he would not make decisions on foreign policy without talking to experts first. He is a thoughtful person. He has studied international relations carefully.
Q: Was there a moment when you realized he was extraordinary?
No not really. He is 9 years older than I am. As soon as I was old enough I thought he was extraordinary.
The event then evolved into cocktails and group chatter. It was very interesting.
I left with quite a positive impression of her.
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