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Woman Claiming to Be Obama’s ‘Aunt Zeituni’ Lives in South Boston Public Housing

October 30, 2008 11:49 AM

The father of the Democratic presidential candidate, Barack Hussein Obama Sr., sure tilled the proverbial fields, as we’ve covered before when looking at Sen. Barack Obama’s eight half-siblings and his branch-y family tree, including half-brother George Onyango, apparently living in some sort of shanty in Kenya.

Now, the Times of London and the Boston Globe find someone who appears to be Obama’s long-lost aunt living in public housing in South Boston.

Zeituni Onyango -– referred to as "Auntie Zeituni" in Obama's memoir “Dreams From My Father” –- told Boston Housing Authority officials this week that she’s Obama’s aunt, William McGonigle, deputy director of the BHA told the Globe.  A BHA official said her apartment is “adorned with photographs of the Democratic presidential nominee, including some that appeared to be more than two decades old.”

The Obama campaign had no comment.

Onyango told the Times that she is, indeed, Obama's aunt, the sister of Barack Obama Sr., one of the offspring of Obama’s paternal grandfather Hussein Onyango Obama.

“Just across town from where Mr. Obama made history as the first black president of the Harvard Law Review,” the Times writes, “some of his closest blood relatives have confronted the harshness of immigrant life in America.”

His long-lost “Uncle Omar,” for instance, was beaten by armed robbers and evicted from his apartment.

If Obama wins, I wonder how many of these relatives he barely knows, if at all, are going to start popping up.

They’re a fascinating part of his biography, though his campaign doesn’t seem to like to talk about them much.

It's pretty astounding that we've made it this far with so little known about them.

- jpt

October 30, 2008 | Permalink | Share | User Comments (113)

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"Barak Obama is for USA worked out in making history from his honest dedication as a democratic political leader in a natural condition of family value and where ever they are they are proud and love him as the peace loving people loves him inside & outside of this Great-USA that is the turning point to breath the fresh air of Freedom and Democracy"

Posted by: Dr.A.Momin | Nov 10, 2008 10:57:32 AM

Biden says it's patriotic to pay taxes and shows his love of country by donating $3,800 to charity on an income of $2.3 million. Obama touts being his brother's keeper yet he owns $2.5 million in homes. Charles Rangel is chariman of the Ways and Means Committe, pays no taxes on his rental property for 20 years, and then blames it on the fact that he doesn't know Spanish. Politicians suck and they should all be put out to pasture.

Posted by: Joe | Nov 2, 2008 11:02:03 AM

Obama had no idea the Jeremiah Wright is so divisive, so i wouldn't expect him to know that his Auntie is even alive.

Posted by: Get Real | Nov 2, 2008 10:57:02 AM

Obama's fall will be a mighty thud. The Messiah will disappoint so many who see him as their economic savior. He will kill this limping economy, and if he pulls out of Iraq too quickly, he will be remembered as the President whose withrawal led to the innocent slaughter of hundereds of thousands of Iraqis.

Posted by: Pathetic | Nov 2, 2008 10:55:15 AM

I am sure trickle up poverty will be a good substitute for jobs and opportunity. In two years the Democratic congress will be the most hated ogranization in the land. In four it will be the administration, no matter who is elected.

Posted by: Thotman | Nov 2, 2008 3:48:42 AM

It's not so much that she is here illegally as the fact that she is living in poverty while he has raked in millions for years now and has not reached out to help her. What dent would that put in his budget? Now that is sad. He also has a brother who lives in poverty. If I knew where HE lived I would send him a few buck just because I feel sorry for the poor fella. By the way I am not a Democrat.

Posted by: Vicky | Nov 1, 2008 8:33:11 PM

This whole deal about Obama's Aunt has me wondering if Obama himself is actually here illegally. If there is a coverup of some sort in effect, I want the public to know.

In addition, because of this insult to American political integrity I am calling for an IMMEDIATE boycott of early voting, absentee balloting and election day turnout UNLESS Barack Obama resigns from his campaign. NO EXCEPTIONS, AMERICA: Your political integrity may well be at risk.

Posted by: daJeffster | Nov 1, 2008 12:39:29 PM

Ditto Lucky Lucy

Posted by: Rev. Ike | Oct 31, 2008 9:40:07 PM

If Obama had 7 houses like McCain, maybe he could help his long lost kin.
Cindy McCain won't even give her half sisters part of their father's estate. She and McCain kept it all.
So, let's not start talkin family values.

Posted by: Lucky Lucy | Oct 31, 2008 8:49:29 PM

Another note. If Obama "didn't know about her" how was she already instructed not to speak to anyone until after November 4th?

Posted by: Cryos | Oct 31, 2008 10:20:28 AM

"Jake, this is a surprisingly aggressive hit piece, even for you. And it reads suspiciously like it was written by someone else, from the right-wing noise machine."

Diehard Obama supporters and justifiers don't get it. To me if you want to have a "spread the wealth" mentality maybe you should actually help your family not leave them poor meanwhile dealing with corrupt individuals to get $300,000 off your house and not contribute much to charity.

However I do think a significant portion of liberals think this way (not all). Left to their own personal choice they are greedy and selfish not contributing to charities or helping people when they're able. However it is good for their conscience to have politics to force everyone else to share their wealth because then they can convince themselves they're helping others and continue doing nothing for anyone else personally.

Posted by: Cryos | Oct 31, 2008 10:14:51 AM

Hey this kind of stuff should not be a surprise for the media. I remember reading the Audacity of Hope and thinking wow this guy is smart writing his memoirs and biography before he's had a national career. Talk about marketing your image.

Posted by: rafraf | Oct 31, 2008 8:33:55 AM

Dare Nigeria

At least I found some sound and decent minded contributor of this page. I was very surprise out of our view of the Americans that they are full of hatred, divisiveness, mongerers, and ignorance. From where I came from we have a high regards whether it is a white or a black skin as long as they are Americans. We thought that they are extra ordinary intilegent individuals but for what I mostly encountered here I felt shame of them to my countrymen. They will bring this country down to their knees if they don't use their common sense. What a waste this kind of people.

Posted by: TheChef1955 | Oct 31, 2008 7:46:24 AM

Obama's father abandoned him when he was barely two. He saw him for the first and last time when he was ten. Non of these family members knew who Obama was during his formative years, which I dare say, is the time the young Obama would have needed them most.

Obama, later in life, traveled to Kenya to discover his roots.

These People hardly know Obama and Obama barely knows them.

But a situation where some People are trying to judge Obama by the living standards of relations he barely knows is unrealistic.

How many of you, if truth be told, takes care of relations that you grew up with.

How many of you have your ageing parents living in your homes and not in retirement homes? How many of you have gone to the homes to check on your ageing parents in the last one year?

Before you judge others, can you candidly judge yourselves first.

Obama takes care of the People that matter in his life and those are his immediate family, his Grandmother, his Sister, his nephews and nieces and other maternal relations he knows, the ones that were there when he needed them most. Not some far flung relations.

He did well by going in search of them but for anybody to blame him for the lots of the People is unjust.

Take care of your ageing Parents. Show them love and care; and stop sending them to retirement homes.

It is only when you do these that you can judge others.

Posted by: Dare Nigeria | Oct 31, 2008 3:55:41 AM

Mark OK writes, "Obama supporters hopefully understand that his only accomplishment his is own advancement."

====================================

I don't know Mary. I think they're too preoccupied with his obtaining scholarships to attend college, graduating from Columbia, Harvard Law, teaching at the University of Chicago (clearly a school for dummies), being a community organizer, State Legistlator for 7 years and a U.S. Senator for two.

If his resume screams "accomplished zip" maybe you would like to tell us what you or anyone for that matter in your family has accomplished?

Anything remotely comparable? Well? Didn't think so. Good comedy to say the least.

Posted by: Dems | Oct 30, 2008 10:55:12 PM

And what does having obscure relatives make him now, communist, maxist, terrorist???

Posted by: Charity begins at home | Oct 30, 2008 10:28:07 PM

whut about mccain's black side of his family...

Posted by: gluvnast | Oct 30, 2008 7:23:58 PM

Jake

"So little is known about them?" As you said, Obama wrote a book with them in it.

As you said, Obama barely knows them anyway.

And why would you care if more relatives were going to "start popping up?" Too many black people?

Jake, this is a surprisingly aggressive hit piece, even for you. And it reads suspiciously like it was written by someone else, from the right-wing noise machine.

Posted by: jock59801 | Oct 30, 2008 7:15:00 PM

This article does reveal Obama's life has very much been the low-average life. He knows the struggles of climbing to the top. When he was labeled "elite" - ridiculous!!

These examples make his story even more remarkable. Obama is an extraordinary man who may be one of the greatest Presidents ever.

Posted by: Sharonklim | Oct 30, 2008 3:59:14 PM


Sharonklim, you really don't know anything about your candidate - do you? He went to an elite private high school in Hawaii, paid for by his grandparents. There is no evidence that he worked through college. Had a couple of low level summer jobs.

Obama is very charasmatic. A lot of well connected people in Chicago took him under their wing and promoted his career. They didn't actually require him to do anything to benefit the taxpayers or his constituents, in any job he had. His record shows that he barely showed up and when he did, he didn't do anything noteworthy. Actually, Michelle Obama probably comes from more modest means and grew up in a crime infested neighborhood. Her obstacles were likely greater, but she did come from a two parent household.

Obama supporters hopefully understand that his only accomplishment his is own advancement. Maybe that is good enough. I guess we will have to see.

Posted by: Mary OK | Oct 30, 2008 7:08:29 PM

"It's pretty astounding that we've made it this far with so little known about them."

It's only astounding if you think the MSM is as willing to investigate Obama as it is Sarah Palin and Joe the Plumber.

The fact that this story was broken by a foreign paper (the Boston Globe only picked it up later) tells you everything you need to know about the current state of the MSM.

Posted by: Blenheim | Oct 30, 2008 6:48:08 PM

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