Konrad Ng

Barack Obama was born on August 4, 1961, in Honolulu, Hawaii. He is the son of Stanley Ann Dunham and Barack Obama Sr. His father was born in Kenya and belonged to the Luo ethnic group, while his mother was of European descent, primarily English, with smaller amounts of German, Scotch-Irish, Welsh, and Swiss ancestry.

Obama's maternal grandparents are Madelyn Lee Payne Dunham (1922–2008) and Stanley Armour Dunham (1918–1992). Madelyn Dunham worked in banking and later became a vice president of a bank in Hawaii. She was raised in Kansas, and her family included her brother Charles Thomas Payne (1925–2014), who served in the U.S. Army during World War II.

Obama’s mother, Stanley Ann Dunham, was an anthropologist specializing in economic anthropology and rural development. She earned a PhD from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa and worked with organizations such as the United States Agency for International Development, the Ford Foundation, and Women’s World Banking. Dunham focused on microcredit initiatives aimed at alleviating global poverty. She was a significant influence during Obama’s formative years.

His maternal heritage includes predominantly English ancestry among other European origins. A genealogy study published by Ancestry.com in 2012 suggested that Obama is likely descended from John Punch, an African-American at the center of early slave revolts, through his mother's Bunch family line. This research indicates a lineage that included landownership in colonial Virginia and migration to Tennessee and later Kansas, where Obama’s mother was born.

Obama was raised by his mother alongside his maternal grandparents in Honolulu, Hawaii. His grandfather, Stanley Dunham, served as a sergeant in the U.S. Army during World War II. His grandmother, Madelyn Dunham, worked in banking and served as vice president of a bank in Hawaii. They played an influential role in his early education and upbringing.

In his youth, Obama attended the University of Hawaii from which he graduated, and later Harvard Law School. His educational background also includes attendance at the University of Chicago Laboratory School in Chicago, Illinois. He married Michelle Robinson in 1992, with whom he has two daughters, Malia Ann (born July 4, 1998) and Natasha Marian, known as Sasha (born June 10, 2001). Both daughters received private education, attending Sidwell Friends School in Washington, D.C.

Michelle Obama, born Michelle LaVaughn Robinson on January 17, 1964, is an American lawyer, university administrator, and writer. She earned her undergraduate degree from Princeton University and her Juris Doctor from Harvard Law School. Michelle Obama was a senior advisor at the University of Chicago and served as the associate dean of student services at the University of Chicago. She was the First Lady of the United States from 2009 to 2017, during Barack Obama’s presidency.

Michelle Obama’s activities as first lady included advocacy for education, poverty awareness, nutrition, and health issues. She also became a prominent public figure and fashion icon. During her tenure as first lady, she delivered speeches at the Democratic National Conventions in 2008, 2012, and 2016. She has participated in initiatives such as Let Girls Learn, promoting access to education for girls worldwide, and accompanied her family on international trips related to these initiatives.

Malia and Sasha Obama were born in 1998 and 2001, respectively. They were both born at the University of Chicago Medical Center and later attended Sidwell Friends School. The family adopted a Portuguese Water Dog, Bo, in 2009, and later a second dog named Sunny in 2013. Malia has pursued higher education at Harvard University and has worked in television production. Sasha graduated from Sidwell Friends in 2019, transferred to the University of Michigan, and later graduated from the University of Southern California in 2023.

In later years, Malia worked on various film projects, including a short film credited under her name, Malia Ann, which premiered at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival. She has also been involved in writing and production activities, including work on Amazon Prime Video series "Swarm."

Michelle Obama's mother, Marian Robinson, resided in the White House during the Obama presidency.