“...Elizabeth Mooney Kirk, an international literacy pioneer, was named in Barack Obama’s book, Dreams from My Father, as a key supporter of his father’s dream to come to the U.S. She helped to line up scholarships, including the one awarded by the Laubach Literacy Fund...”
Barack Sr. was being paid by a key member of the Laubach Literacy Institute (LLI). The LLI had links to the Nation of Islam and embraced a Pan-African styled philosophy. Pan-Africanism is a sociopolitical world view, and philosophy, as well as a movement, which seeks to unify both native Africans and those of the African descent, as part of a “global African community”. This separatist style philosophy was embraced by Malcolm X and the NOI and is still being preached at Trinity Church in Chicago famously by former leader Rev. Wright (Obama Jr’s pastor for 20 years). LLI’s even more ambitious goal was to make the concept of sovereign nations with borders obsolete. This would be done through “peaceful social change” as stated on their website.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2278969/posts?page=113#113
That explains a lot. Thanks for the additional info. Her obit makes her sound so philanthropic! Of course there is always another motive.
BTW, these were not the only Kenyan students here during that era. My husband had a classmate at Northwestern from Kenya (I’ll have to get the name when he gets home) during the years 1956-1958 — a little earlier than Obama. I wonder how he got here? My husband knew him from activities at the International House.
Northwestern was NOT the University of Hawaii. For one thing, Northwestern was a highly rated school in several disciplines and a very expensive one, as it is now.
University of Hawaii in those days was considered a place to go to study “underwater basket weaving”, or so the joke went. It was NOT a place to brag about as your alma mater.
Good morning Fred, hope you slept well.