I guess "No, You Can't" isn't in his genes!

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Obama's Grandmother, No `Typical' Woman, Broke Her Own Barriers

Kim Chipman

Aug. 8 (Bloomberg) -- When Barack Obama referred to his grandmother as a ``typical white person,'' he was underestimating her. As a banker in 1960s Hawaii who offered her grandson one of his earliest models for overcoming barriers, Madelyn Dunham was anything but typical.


``Mrs. Dunham was one of two women in the whole bank system that were officers of any sort,'' said Jackie Berry, who began working at Bank of Hawaii under Obama's maternal grandmother more than 40 years ago.

Obama is traveling today to Honolulu, where he'll visit the woman he calls ``Toot,'' short for ``tutu,'' the Hawaiian word for grandmother. While his late grandfather, Stanley, was a gregarious wanderer and his deceased mother, Ann, an intellectually adventurous free spirit, Dunham, 85, was the steady force who kept her family grounded.

``She was the grand matriarch,'' said Maya Soetoro-Ng, 37, Obama's half-Indonesian sister who lives in Honolulu and helps take care of Dunham. ``She was the net beneath us so we could make courageous decisions in our own lives.''

More at link

Obama's Grandmother, No `Typical' Woman, Broke Her Own Barriers

[Pirate Smile]

1. It annoys me to no end that they continually misconstrue the "typical white person"

remark. :eyes:

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2. Yes, but, regardless, it's a terrific article!

I was amazed by his mother and now, it appears there's a family tradition of barrier breaking. It's inspiring.

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3. Only one comment?

The women in this man's life are truly remarkable. From his grandmothers, to his mother, to his wife, top notch ladies breaking down barriers and saying "yes, we can" his whole life. Is it any wonder why he's never listened to the naysayers that said a man with his background had no chance at the presidency?