Aloha,
Barack Obama's sister Maya Soetoro-Ng is an educator in Honolulu. A native of Indonesia, Maya teaches empathy and nonviolence at a high school and multicultural education at the University of Hawai`i. I had the pleasure of meeting her earlier this year at a small gathering on the Island of Maui, where she gave a brief speech in support of her brother's presidential campaign and informally talked with local residents.
My impressions follow below the fold.
Maya regarded Barack (nine years her senior) as something of a father figure when they were growing up, first in Indonesia and later in Hawai`i. She remembers him always being smart and strong for the family - and also interested in having a good time with friends, sports, music, and reading.
As a young adult, she lived with her brother in Chicago when he was involved in community organizing there. Maya came away impressed by Barack's ability to inspire people from all walks of life and his commitment to social justice.
During her talk, Maya had a simple but clear message. The Obama Administration's foreign and domestic policy will be based on compassion, fairness, and respect because those are her brother's values.
She's been doing some campaigning on the Mainland and will likely be doing more soon. A foreign-born Spanish speaker, she will be sent to a diverse range of communities. She's already been featured at events in Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada, and Illinois. Maya was interviewed by Jessica Slider in Iowa last month. And Maya has been in touch with Democrats abroad. She's happy to talk about her brother's credentials as a feminist and a natural communicator, among other things.
Maya strikes me as a thoroughly genuine person - even a bit unpolished, as she's the first to acknowledge - with a great sense of humor about herself and her brother. I just hope the campaign consultants let her continue to be herself!
Someone with a computer played the "I Got a Crush on Obama" video that circulated throughout all corners of Internet earlier in the year, and it was obvious she got a big kick out of it (even though she said she's sure her brother is embarrassed by it). Her sense of humor is also seen by her attendance at a Second City performance called "Between Barack and a Hard Place."
Maya is also a good photographer. She took a touching picture at Barack's graduation from Punahou School in Honolulu, showing her brother with their grandparents Madelyn and Stanley Dunham.
When somebody asked Maya what Barack would be doing if he hadn't gone into politics, an audience member volunteered that maybe he'd be in the NBA. (He was known as a pickup basketball star on the streets of Waikiki in the late '70s and early '80s.) That suggestion drew a hearty laugh from Maya, who noted that her brother is "getting up there in years" (he's 46).
In responding to the question, she said that she couldn't imagine her brother having a career in anything that didn't involve some form of public service. That's his passion, as seen in his life's path.
More information about Maya (including a brief video of her talking about her brother) is on the Obama campaign website.
If you get the opportunity to see Maya on the campaign trail, please say hello and let her know that we on Maui send her our aloha.
Mahalo!