[LINK] "What was Barack Obama like in 1990?"

[rfmcdonald]

The Toronto Star has an article from 1990 describing an successful young African-American by the name of Barack Obama who was "the first black to be elected president in the 102-year history of the prestigious student-run law journal," the Harvard Law Review.

Barack Obama in 1990
Originally uploaded by rfmcdpei

Barack Obama stares silently at a wall of fading black-and-white photographs in the muggy second-floor offices of the Harvard Law Review. He lingers over one row of solemn faces, his predecessors of 40 years ago.

All are men. All are dressed in dark-coloured suits and ties. All are white.

It is a sobering moment for Obama, 28, who in February became the first black to be elected president in the 102-year history of the prestigious student-run law journal.

The post, considered the highest honour a student can attain at Harvard Law School, almost always leads to a coveted clerkship with the U.S. Supreme Court after graduation and a lucrative offer from the law firm of one's choice.

Yet Obama, who has gone deep into debt to meet the $25,000-a-year cost of a Harvard Law School education, has left many in disbelief by asserting that he wants neither.

"One of the luxuries of going to Harvard Law School is it means you can take risks in your life," Obama said recently. "You can try to do things to improve society and still land on your feet. That's what a Harvard education should buy – enough confidence and security to pursue your dreams and give something back."

After graduation next year, Obama says, he probably will spend two years at a corporate law firm, then look for community work. Down the road, he plans to run for public office.

The New York Times also covered the story of the young lawyer in 1990.