Ken Mack Interview: Barack Obama - From Harvard to Oval Office | In Pursuit of a More Perfect Union

Ken Mack recalls his early memories meeting and befriending Barack Obama at Harvard Law School. He reflects how these experiences shaped Obama’s path to becoming the first Black president of the United States.

00:13 Meeting Barack Obama: Harvard Law School journey
01:10 Black student diversity at Harvard Law in the 1980s
01:44 Barack Obama’s historic presidency of Harvard Law Review
09:29 Obama’s biracial identity: its role in shaping his life
12:04 Barack Obama’s leadership and negotiation skills explained
13:53 Martin Luther King Jr.’s enduring influence on Barack Obama
15:44 Derrick Bell’s activism and Harvard’s faculty diversity movement
20:32 Charles Hamilton Houston: inspiration for Barack Obama’s career
22:57 Race and affirmative action debates at Harvard Law School
25:00 Barack Obama and Ken Mack: friendship beyond Harvard
27:03 Obama’s 2004 DNC speech: launching his political career
28:26 Criticisms of Barack Obama’s racial identity during his career
30:45 The Jeremiah Wright controversy in Obama’s presidential campaign
33:29 Election night 2008: Barack Obama makes history as president
36:12 Challenges of Barack Obama’s presidency as the first Black leader
36:55 Henry Louis “Skip” Gates incident: Obama and racial controversies
39:01 Barack Obama’s strategy on race and politics during his presidency
42:17 Racist opposition to Barack Obama’s policies and leadership
44:43 Trayvon Martin’s case and its impact on Obama’s presidency
46:40 Obama’s “Amazing Grace” Charleston eulogy: a defining moment
50:19 Donald Trump’s rise following Barack Obama’s presidency
52:39 Barack Obama’s legacy: lasting impact on race and U.S. politics

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🔍 About Ken Mack

Ken Mack, the inaugural Lawrence D. Biele Professor of Law at Harvard, specializes in American race relations and legal history. A Harvard Law School faculty member since 1999, Mack authored Representing the Race: The Creation of the Civil Rights Lawyer (2012), a Washington Post Best Book of the Year and finalist for the Julia Ward Howe Book Award. A classmate and friend of Barack Obama at Harvard Law, Mack served as executive editor of the Harvard Law Review while Obama was its president.

Interviewee: Ken Mack
Interviewed by: Peter Kunhardt
Interview Date: 1st November 2018

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