What were some of the social challenges Obama faced?

In the book Dreams from My Father, Obama explains that he was mainly raised by his grandparents Stanley and Madelyn Dunham. His grandfather served in the US Army, where he was exposed to people from various races and backgrounds. Obama's mother, Ann Dunham, was raised in a military family and was accustomed to meeting people from other races and ethnic backgrounds during her father's career.

Obama's mother worked in the development sector in the State Department and found it prudent to have Obama stay with his grandparents in Hawaii to give him a stable environment. Obama had to learn at a tender age to cope with many questions, as he did not want to overburden his grandparents with too many questions. He says in the book that he preferred to stay in his room after completing his homework.

One of the social challenges Obama faced was growing up without a father. His father, Barack Obama Senior, returned to Kenya when Obama was three years old and only returned to the US for a brief visit when Obama Junior was ten years old. Young Obama had a lot of questions for his father, but his visit left him with more questions still. His sister Auma Obama in Kenya played a very important role in answering many of the questions about who their father was.

Another social challenge Obama faced was his racial identity. He was very close to his grandparents, especially his grandfather, who played the father figure in his life very effectively. However, Obama knew his father was Kenyan, and he struggled to understand where he fit as a Kenyan. Obama first came to Kenya in 1987, and he was shocked right at the airport on arrival when the Immigration official recognized him and asked him if he was Dr. Obama's son.

His visit to Kenya helped him connect with his Kenyan roots and understand his Kenyan identity.

Obama knew his mother and his grandparents were not rich, but they had set high expectations for him, especially his academic life. When he went to Occidental College in Los Angeles, he faced a real challenge in choosing friends. He was a child of two worlds. His maternal and paternal worlds were different and constantly competing in his life. Balancing academics and his friends was challenging. The two years he spent in Occidental College gave him the opportunity to interact and understand an African American community.

In conclusion, despite his social challenges, Obama made the best of his life, with the support of his mother, his grandparents, and the communities he served. He turned the challenges into opportunities that helped him capture the Illinois Senate seat in 2004, propelling him to the presidency in 2008.