Obama Presidential Center Opens Thursday On Chicago’s South Side With Star-Studded Dedication Ceremony

The Obama Presidential Center opened Thursday on Chicago's South Side with a star-studded dedication ceremony that included former Presidents Barack Obama, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Joe Biden.

“Skip to main content 5 hours ago - Politics & Policy Obama Presidential Center opens with star-studded celebration Justin Kaufmann email (opens in new window) sms (opens in new window) facebook (opens in new window) twitter (opens in new window) linkedin (opens in new window) bluesky (opens in new window) Add Axios as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google”

Axios

NBC News said the ceremony began at noon ET and that the Obamas were expected to be joined by former presidents and music stars, including Bruce Springsteen, Stevie Wonder, Christina Aguilera, U2's Bono and the Edge.

CBS News

Axios described the center as a $850 million project that serves as the public home of President Obama's legacy and museum, while his presidential archives remain digital.

Axios also said the campus breaks from the traditional presidential library model because Obama's archives are stored digitally, with the South Side campus serving as a museum, civic space and community gathering place.

NPR said the center would officially open to the public tomorrow, on Juneteenth, after Thursday's dedication and a Friday opening of the museum to visitors.

In remarks during the opening ceremony, Barack Obama urged Americans to look toward each other again, saying, “We want to find a way to look toward each other again, not further away.”

CNN reported that Obama delivered pointed criticism of President Donald Trump without mentioning him by name when talking about a “belief in the peaceful transfer of power.”

Chicago Sun-Times

Michelle Obama delivered a tribute that moved President Obama to tears, and CBS News quoted her saying, “You told me all those years ago that you couldn't promise me the world, but you could promise me an interesting life.”

The Chicago Tribune said President Donald Trump was pointedly not invited to the dedication, adding that his name went unspoken by Barack and Michelle Obama or any other speaker during the three-hour ceremony.

Axios said the Roots opened the ceremony before Jennifer Hudson delivered a rendition of the national anthem, and later performers including Bruce Springsteen, Eddie Vedder, John Legend, Common, Christina Aguilera and Bono took the stage.

The center’s messaging emphasized hope and democracy, with NBC News quoting Obama saying, “no one is above the law or beneath its protections.”

“Barack Obama stresses democracy at presidential center ceremony in 'Sweet Home Chicago' Grammy Award-winning musicians The Roots, Christina Aguilera, Eddie Vedder, John Legend, Common, Tem, Marc Anthony, Bono and The Edge of U2, Bruce Springsteen and Stevie Wonder took the stage at the ceremony”

Chicago Sun-Times

The Chicago Tribune said Obama urged Americans to look past the political turbulence and controversies of the Trump era that have fostered cynicism, and it quoted him warning that giving away “our power to decide our own futures” opens “the door to the most ruthless or the most careless or the most fearful among us.”

NPR described the campus as a more-than-19-acre space on the south side of Chicago that includes a museum, garden, basketball court, and a new branch of the Chicago Public Library.

NPR also said the center is not a presidential library and will not house former President Obama’s presidential documents, noting that those documents are in the largely digital Barack Obama Presidential Library run by the National Archives.

Axios said the center is intended as a public home for Obama’s legacy and museum and that the archives remain digital, framing the campus as a place for thousands of visitors to attend after the dedication.