Obama Presidential Center opens on Chicago’s South Side

Barack and Michelle Obama opened the Obama Presidential Center in Chicago on Thursday, drawing former presidents, foreign leaders, celebrities and members of the public to a South Side campus more than a decade in the making.

The 19.3-acre center in Jackson Park, near the Obamas’ Chicago home before they moved to the White House, is intended to serve as more than a traditional presidential library. The campus combines museum and reading-room elements with community amenities including a playground, basketball court, recording studio and public library.

“For me, this centre could not be any place else,” Obama told visitors at the opening ceremony. “It’s an expression of thanks, an acknowledgement that so much of what I hold most dear I owe to the people of this city and the people of these surrounding neighbourhoods.”

Obama, the 44th president, served from 2009 to 2017. He said the center was built around the idea that residents and visitors can gather, learn and work toward change, rather than stand as a “lifeless mausoleum.”

“We wanted it to be a vibrant, living celebration of community. Where we can learn together and share the joys of art and music and sport and play,” he said.

Michelle Obama used her remarks to praise her husband’s personal and professional record, prompting him to wipe away tears. She also urged visitors to treat the center as a place for ordinary civic life.

“We want you to come here and put away your phones and talk and laugh and cry. Make new friends, get your hands dirty in my garden, put your baby on a swing in the playground, have a romantic picnic on the Great Lane,” she said. “Because that’s the work of democracy: being neighbourly, taking care of public spaces.”

Valerie Jarrett, a former Obama adviser and chief executive of the Obama Foundation, said in opening remarks that the campus was not meant to honor the Obamas alone. “This is not a monument to the Obamas, you guys, this is a tribute to all those who make their journey possible,” she said.

Former Presidents George W. Bush, Bill Clinton and Joe Biden attended the ceremony and were introduced before the Obamas. Hillary Clinton was also present, as were Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker and California Gov. Gavin Newsom, The Guardian reported. Foreign dignitaries included former German Chancellor Angela Merkel, former Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and former Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi.

President Donald Trump, who has long feuded publicly with Obama, was not invited, the BBC reported. Speakers did not name Trump directly, but the BBC and The Guardian reported that several remarks alluded to his policies and political approach.

Obama described democracy as including “a belief that our military and law enforcement owe allegiance not to any president or political party, but to the people and our constitution,” as well as “a belief in the peaceful transfer of power after the people have spoken in fair and free elections.” He also praised values he said were shared across party lines, naming former Republican presidential nominees John McCain and Mitt Romney.

“These are the values and traditions I believe in, and they are not Republican or Democratic values, they are American values we can all share,” Obama said.

The opening also featured performances by Jennifer Hudson, Christina Aguilera, John Legend, Common, Marc Anthony, Bono and The Edge of U2, Bruce Springsteen and Stevie Wonder. Eddie Vedder, the Illinois-born Pearl Jam frontman, performed an original song he wrote with young people from the Guitars Over Guns program.

Spectators said they were grateful the Obamas brought the center to Chicago’s South Side, the BBC reported.