President Obama is a good example of someone who has many different identity intersections in his life. He was born to a White mother from the United States and an African father from Kenya. Therefore, he identifies as a son and as both White and African. He is married to Michelle Obama and thus also identifies with being a husband. They have two daughters, which means he also identifies with being a father. He spent part of his childhood with his maternal grandparents in Hawaii. Therefore, he identifies as being a grandson and someone who has lived on the U.S. mainland as well as in Hawaii. Professionally, President Obama is an Ivy League–educated lawyer from Chicago, Illinois, who served in the U.S. Senate and then joined the small group of people who have had the experience of being President of the United States. He is also a person of the Christian faith. This is one example of the complexity of identity which illustrates how numerous one person’s different sources of identity can be.

Discussion Questions:

1. Like President Obama, we all have many different characteristics with which we identify. What are some characteristics you identify with?

2. Are the characteristics that you identify with always in agreement?
What are some identities that fit together harmoniously? Do you have other identities that are in direct conflict with one another?