Obama's Sister Reaches Out To Asians

We've heard a lot during this presidential campaign about Barack Obama's multi-racial heritage. Most people know that he has a white mother from Kansas and a black father from Kenya. That alone would make the his family the most multi-racial and multi-ethnic first family in our country's history if he is elected president.

But the racial and ethnic make-up of Obama's family is even more varied than that. There is also an Asian component of the family -- Obama's sister, Maya Soetoro-Ng (pictured above). Barack and Maya have the same mother, but different fathers. Maya's father was Lolo Soetoro, an Indonesian businessman who was married to their mother when she lived in Jakarta from 1967 to 1971.

Here is how the Chicago Sun Times describes the relationship between Barack and Maya, "Soetoro-Ng is nine years younger than Obama and considers him 'the strong male force' in her life after her parents' divorce. It was with Obama she attended her first blues concert and her first voter registration drive, she said. The two remain close: She was there when Obama's oldest daughter, Malia, 9, was born, and plans to help celebrate her 10th birthday on the 4th of July, on the campaign trail.

Soetoro-Ng's appearances give voters a chance to get to know Obama as a person, not just an elected official. Her stories illustrate the development of his character, from his days as a teenager who loved basketball and bodysurfing and didn't always get the strongest grades, to his growing sense of civic duty in the summers she spent with him in Chicago."

Maya currently lives in Hawaii with her husband, Konrad Ng. Mr. Ng is a professor at the University of Hawaii, and blogs on Obama's campaign website, while she is a teacher at an all-girl's school. Maya is taking the Summer and part of the Fall to campaign for her brother, especially in the Asian-American community.

Asians in America come from many different countries and cultures, and do not vote as a bloc. In the last presidential election, 56% voted for Kerry and 44% voted for Bush. Maya is hoping to change those numbers by reminding voters of Obama's family connection to the Asian-American community.

Currently, Asian-American voters represent about 5% of the population (about 15.4 million people).