NARA SCHOENBERG, Chicago Tribune
- Barack Obama is often viewed as a singular sensation: a disaffected teen with no family wealth or connections who went on to become president of the Harvard Law Review, a U.S. senator and the first black president of the United States.
But if the president-elect is in many ways unique, he’s also part of a broader phenomenon.
Immigrants from Africa, who claim the son of a Harvard-educated Kenyan father and a white American mother as one of their own, are starting to draw attention, both for their strong presence at elite colleges — where 13 percent of black students are first- or second-generation African immigrants — and for the rise of high-profile individuals.
Along with the president-elect, there’s the Senegalese-American rapper Akon and Nomvuyo Mzamane, the South African-born educator who made headlines when she was chosen to lead Oprah’s African girls school, and again when she sued the talk-show host over her dismissal. The Liberian-born fashion designer Korto Momolu, who was the runner-up on this season’s “Project Runway” and was voted the fan favorite, celebrated her heritage with gowns melding visual inspirations from Africa and Arkansas.
