Barack Obama officially inaugurated as President of the United States in History Today, January 20, 2009

Barck Obama's inauguration as the 44th President of the United States in Washington DC on January 20, 2009. (Master Sgt. Cecilio Ricardo/U.S. Air Force)

JAKARTA - History today, 17 years ago, January 20, 2009, a new history was created in the United States (US) through the figure of Barack Obama. He was officially inaugurated as the first black President of the United States. The inauguration of the 44th US President was greeted with great fanfare and was seen as a victory for the US against racism.

Previously, Obama's presence in the US political map was not short. He had prepared himself long in advance to realize his dream of becoming President of the United States. That perseverance brought him into the political map in Uncle Sam's country.

Nothing is impossible in life. The narrative is confirmed by Barack Obama. The man born in Honolulu, August 4, 1961 has established the dream of becoming President of the US since childhood. People who hear his dream may underestimate Obama.

The attitude is not because they think Obama's dreams are high. However, because Obama is black. There is no US president who is black. Those who become president always come from white people.

Obama didn't care either. He just kept dreaming. He saw for himself that there was no difference between black and white. They both have the right to live. They are also free to be anyone. He then carried out his education well - from Hawaii to Jakarta, Indonesia.

Barack Obama who served as President of the US from 2009-2017. (Wikimedia Commons)

Fate then took him to higher education, from Columbia University to Harvard Law School. Obama then began to enter the US political arena from 1996. He was elected senator from Illinois.

His position as a senator then brought his name to the fore. Obama spoke a lot about improving the living standards of the US people. He became an icon of resistance against racism. The uniqueness of Obama is not only popular among black people. He is also popular in the white community.

Later, his party, the Democratic Party, then supported Obama to run for the 2008 US presidential election. Obama was then paired with Senator from Delaware, Joe Biden. The result, the American people were enchanted by Obama.

His charisma was admired everywhere. Obama was also predicted to win. Moreover, Obama's Republican opponent was only John McCain and Sarah Palin.

"To journalists, he said the first thing to do after becoming a senator was to learn how the institution worked, how to open the faucet in the sink, and how to use the phone there. This is a strategy to get to know the immediate environment."

"With this strategy, he planted his influence in Illinois. Like a duck in the rice fields that keeps circling the rice fields he knows, Obama knocks from one door to another, from one community to another, until finally he captures voters across America. He became President of America at a young age: 47 years old," said Yos Rizal and friends in Tempo magazine titled The President from Menteng Dalam (2008).

Obama also won the 2008 US presidential election, as predicted by many Americans. Obama got 52.9 percent of the vote, while John McCain got 45.7 percent. The result was that Obama made a new history.

He became the first black elected US President. The world also witnessed a historic event on January 20, 2009. Obama was officially inaugurated as the 44th US President in front of the Capitol Building. The event was greeted with cheers and was considered a victory for the US against racism.

The American people have high hopes for Obama. They think Obama's presence will bring a change in the US, from economic crisis affairs to health service reform.

"Starting today, we must rise, dust ourselves off and begin the work of rebuilding America," Obama said, quoted by The Guardian website, January 20, 2009.