Inclusivity and diversity are the driving forces of the modern 21st century and as 1st October marked the beginning of Black History Month this year, it glorifies the achievements and contributions that Black people made to our society.
I’d like to talk about someone who revolutionized modern politics and whose impact on it is a major turning point in this modern world. I believe that Barack Obama changed the political world a lot.
On January 20, 2009, Barack Hussein Obama II was elected as the 44th president of the United States and the first African American to hold the office. He ran for office with the audacious targets of trying to foster a more integrated America, ensuring universal access to affordable healthcare, halting climate change, and eclipsing political polarization.
Obama took the presidency after the global financial crisis of 2008 and with the Congress adopted a significant stimulus package and public works initiative that would eventually aid in reviving economic growth despite the strong opposition from the Republicans.
Obama transformed the constitution of the Supreme Court by appointing Sonia Sotomayor, the first Hispanic justice to serve on the court, and Elena Kagan, making the court the first in history to have three female justices. In its Obergefell v. Hodges judgment from June 2015, the court effectively established marriage equality as the law of the land, mirroring Obama’s own evolving position on same-sex unions.
His presidency also saw tough stance on global terrorism with USA toughening on terrorists during his 2 terms as the President. On 2nd May 2011, nearly 10 years after the 9/11 attacks, Obama announced that the Seal Team 6 with C. I. A’s monitoring hunted down the mastermind behind the attacks, Osama bin-Laden. This marked a historic victory over terrorism.
Obama’s 2013 outreach to Cuba’s leader Ral Castro led to the restoration of official diplomatic ties between the two countries in 2016 as well as the lifting of numerous travel and economic restrictions. Obama won the Nobel Peace Prize early in his first term in large part due to his readiness to engage in diplomatic relations with other nations as a partner following the Bush Doctrine era of pre-emptive U.S. action.
Obama unveiled new climate restrictions in August 2015 with the goal of lowering the nation’s electrical power sector’s emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases. Obama’s dedication to combating climate change led to the United States taking the lead in the drafting and execution of the Paris Climate Agreement.
The list of achievements continues as President Obama was one of the most, if not the most, influential person of colour who re-shaped how we view modern politics. His contributions were monumental and you can read more about them in his memoir or audiobook