Condoleezza Rice Never Met Anybody She Wanted to Live with and Marry – This Is What She’s up to Today

Condoleezza Rice, 67, has had a long career in politics, full of twists and turns. The former Secretary of State became a rather famous public figure during the George W. Bush administration of the 2000s. However, since leaving Washington in 2009, Rice has lived a very low-key life.

Rice became the first Black woman to serve as the United States’ National Security Adviser. Today, however, she’s not involved in the ongoings of the White House or The Hill. With that said, she still has her hands full. 

Rice has enjoyed a sterling career, but has never been married and has no children. A while ago, she revealed just why that is. So, here’s all you need to know about Condoleezza Rice – and what she’s up to today.

Condoleezza Rice was born in Birmingham, Alabama, on November 14, 1954, the only child of Presbyterian minister and high-school counselor John Wesley Rice Jr and teacher Angelena Rice. As per the woman herself, Condoleeezza’s childhood was highly troublesome, but not because of any problems with money or turbulent family arguments.

Condoleezza Rice – childhood

Instead, Rice grew up in the segregated South, which was a huge problem in society. Her parents were determined not to let that affect their daughter’s future.

“I was fortunate in that I had extraordinary parents. [I] wrote a book about them. My mother was a teacher and my father was a high-school guidance counselor. They absolutely believed that I could do anything,” she explained.

“They provided every opportunity to me that they could afford — and some that they couldn’t afford. In [our] little town of segregated Alabama, they made it clear that your fate is in your own hands — that you had to work twice as hard. And as a matter of fact, I did not feel any boundaries. I believed that my horizons had no limits.”

Even so, the segregated society she lived in wasn’t something Rice could easily ignore. One of the most defining moments of the former Secretary of State’s childhood apparently occurred when she was five years old and visited Santa Claus.

As it turned out, Rice almost didn’t get a seat on Santa’s lap – all because of her skin color.

In her autobiography Extraordinary, Ordinary People – which is also a homage to her parents – Rice recalled that day.

“The Santa in question had been putting the white kids on his knee and holding the black children away from him, keeping them standing,” she wrote.

Fortunately, Rice’s father wouldn’t have any of it. Instead, he wanted to teach his daughter a lesson in values – something that would eventually help guide her for the rest of her life.

Elected “president” of the family

“If he does that to Condoleezza,” her father reportedly told Rice’s mother, “I’m going to pull all of that stuff off him and expose him as just another cracker.”

Eventually, Condoleezza got to sit on Santa’s lap. Still, to this day, though, she would never forget how racially charged the moment was.

At home, Rice showed signs of being a leader at a very early age. In fact, she was even voted president of her family, a role which saw her learn much about leadership and responsibilities.

“I think I was about four when I was first elected. You see, we didn’t have term limits. I knew that my mother was going to vote for me every time. I wasn’t so sure about my father, but it was a secret ballot so it didn’t matter, I won every time,” Rice told CBN.

“There were actually responsibilities as a part of being president. I organized family meetings. When we were about to take a family trip, for instance, I would call a meeting. What time we were going to leave? What kind of food are we going to prepare? So I had real responsibility.”

Condoleezza also showed herself to be a bright student. As a teenager, she usually got up at 4.30 a.m. to practice ice skating before heading to school. She attended classes at the University of Denver and high school simultaneously at age 15. After school, meanwhile, she took piano lessons, studied for school, and then played more piano.