PrintObama has yet to read archived letters from his father
Letters and documents from President Obama's father, Barack Obama, Sr., have been stored in the Schomburg Center archives in New York City since 2013. And while the research library has invited the president to read the letters, to date, the president has refused.
"Nearly three years later, as Mr. Obama celebrates his last Father's Day in the White House, the center is still waiting for a response," the newspaper reports.
The unearthed letters include about two dozen of his father's letters, including his transcripts from the University of Hawaii and Harvard, references from professors, advisers and supporters.
Most of the letters — both typed and handwritten — describe his studies in the United States, but also "lays bare the beginnings of the fractured relationship between father and son," the newspaper reports.
The elder Obama went to study in Hawaii where he met his second wife, who later bore him a son who would become president. They divorced three years after Barack was born, and Obama Sr. moved to Massachusetts to study at Harvard University.
A senior White House official said the president would probably consider reading them once he has left office next year.
I don't think the president should come in for any criticism. No one likes to dredge up bad memories unless it's absolutely necessary and Obama has obvious reasons to despise his wandering father.
Still, if I had a father who acted as the elder Obama did, I would want to know why. If there's a chance the answer can be found in those documents, I would hope the president sees fit to read them.
