ABSTRACT

This research seeks to understand how children and youth in the United States, Sierra Leone, Jamaica, China, and Russia made meaning of the election of Barack Obama as the first African American President of the United States. The book is developed from an international study exploring the ways Obama’s messages were understood by students following his inauguration. The book further examines whether children believed race relations in their country or human relations in the world might change as a result of this historic election. Students made vibrant drawings of “what President Obama means to me.” They also told us how they learned about him. The rich contents of the book, the issues it raises, and the insights it provides will offer readers a unique opportunity to look into the minds of the future generation around the world.