The Story
An American Boyhood: Barack Obama in Hawaii.
An independent documentary film
Many of the traits that draw Americans to Barack Obama can be traced to the more than fifteen years he lived in Honolulu, where he was raised as a "Colorful Child" in the Hawaiian culture. His generosity of spirit, his openness, his friendly demeanor, his progressive beliefs and his ability to cross cultures comfortably can be credited in large part to his upbringing in Hawaii. This documentary explores the influential years Obama spent in Hawaii, with special attention to the impact of his family life and the multiculturalism of the island.
When Obama was one, his father left and never paid alimony or child support. Obama's white maternal grandparents, who had left Kansas ten years earlier, and were now residents of Hawaii, stepped in. They helped their daughter raise her young son.
Growing up, Obama"s "father figure" and male role model was his grandfather, Stanley Dunham, whom he affectionately called Gramps. Gramps served in the army under General Patton in World War II. Neighbors recall a kindly man, who doted on his little grandson and walked him to school every day.
The Dunhams were of Scots-Irish decent, and Christmas was celebrated every year in the Dunham household. The Dunhams gave Barack their love—and their values—during those years that he lived in the Dunham's modest Honolulu apartment. We will take a closer look at Obama's mother, Stanley Ann Dunham, whom friends credit with giving her son his optimism and compassionate nature. Ann was a feminist ahead of her time and graduated from high school at the age of 16. As a single mother, she worked her way through college and finally finished her Ph.D. dissertation at the age of 49, just three years before her death from cancer.
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