Obama returns
to isles Dec. 16

An address at the Hilton will
support Hawaii Democrats

U.S. Sen.-elect Barak Obama will make an appearance in Honolulu next month at a fund-raising event for the Hawaii Democratic Party.

"We are pleased that he's coming back home," isle party Chairman Brickwood Galuteria said. Obama, a Punahou School graduate, is expected to speak about his ideas and his approaches to politics.

"A Night of Aloha with Sen. Barak Obama" will be held at the Hilton Hawaiian Village Coral Ballroom on Dec. 16 from 5:30 to 8 p.m.

Obama, 43, also is expected to visit Punahou School the following morning to talk to students.

"We've asked him to talk about his own personal journey and why he has selected a life of public service," said James Scott, president of Punahou School. "He really had a choice to do a lot of things."

"Secondly, he's such a successful graduate. We want him to talk to the students about civic management and how they can get involved in public service," he said.

Obama defeated Republican Alan Keyes for the Senate seat in Illinois in the November election. He is the only African American in the Senate, and the third since Reconstruction.

"He's a rising star. He may be on the national ticket one day. Being from Hawaii, we're all really proud of that," Galuteria said. "Everything that we stand for -- inclusion, diversity, equal rights -- that's what Barak Obama is."

Obama was born in Hawaii and is a 1979 alumnus of Punahou School. He was the first black president of the Harvard Law Review. This year, he delivered the keynote address at the Democratic National Convention, where he spoke of national unity.

Obama had already planned to return to Hawaii for the holiday season to spend time with his grandmother Madelyn Dunham, who lives on Oahu.

"I'm very proud of him," Dunham said yesterday. "We're looking forward to seeing the whole family."

Since the election, Obama has made several national appearances, more recently on talk shows such as "The View" and the "David Letterman Show."

"It's been a little amazing," Dunham said.

Fund-raiser tickets cost $100 and will be available at the Hawaii Democratic Party headquarters, 770 Kapiolani Blvd., Suite 115, starting today at 10 a.m. Proceeds will go to the Democratic Party of Hawaii.

For more information on the event, call 596-2980 or visit the Web site www.hawaiidemocrats.org.