Obama Presidential Center opens with star-studded dedication ceremony in Chicago

CHICAGO – Former President Barack Obama is celebrating the opening of the Obama Presidential Center in Chicago with a star-studded event featuring former presidents, musicians and other prominent guests.

What we know:

Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama and their daughters were seated on stage with former presidents Joe Biden, George W. Bush and Bill Clinton along with former first ladies Jill Biden, Laura Bush and Hillary Rodham Clinton. Former Vice President Kamala Harris was also in attendance.

“I hope this center will serve as an affirmation of just how special, how precious our democracy truly is and remind us what we can achieve when we embrace our shared responsibilities as citizens,” Obama told the crowd.

Reflecting on his arrival in Chicago in 1985 as an untested political organizer, Obama said he could not built the center anywhere else. He said he met his future wife Michelle nearby, their wedding reception was within walking distance of the center, his children were born in the neighborhood and he launched his first candidacy not far away.

“It’s an expression of thanks, an acknowledgment that so much of what I hold most dear I owe to the people of this city and the people of the surrounding neighborhoods,” Obama said.

Bono, John Legend, Christina Aguilera, Marc Anthony and Eddie Vedder took turns on the stage ahead of planned performances by Bruce Springsteen and Stevie Wonder.

The event marks the official opening of the Obama Presidential Center and kicks off a weekend of celebrations ahead of the campus opening to the public on Friday, which is Juneteenth.

Michelle Obama spoke directly to her husband when she stepped up to the podium. “Eight years in the crucible and not once did you melt in the heat. Not once did you let it harden you.

“Instead, you used it to reveal your truest essence,” she said. “Your stubborn optimism and unflinching courage. Your dazzling brilliance and unpretentious decency. Your ferocious work ethic and absolutely unshakable moral fiber. And to do it all as a first.”

She ticked off highlights from her husband’s eight years in office, including  ordering the raid that led to the killing of Osama bin Laden, “standing up for marriage equality” and “listening to science.” 

“And you did it all with such grace and class and cool,” she said. “You made the hardest job in the world look like a walk in this beautiful park.”

Michelle Obama also referenced the current “anxious and divisive times” and warned against being cynical or complacent as “everything feels so upside down.” She pitched the center as “a respite from all that.”

Jennifer Hudson sang the national anthem and Aguilera delivered a rousing rendition of “What a Wonderful World.” Pearl Jam’s Vedder, joined by Chicago teenagers in the nonprofit Guitars Over Guns program, sang an original song called “Better Believe,” written just for the dedication.

Legend sang “Someday We’ll All Be Free” and was joined by the rapper Common and Uniting Voices Chicago for their Academy Award-winning song “Glory.”

Bono, who said he was there representing the Irish, joined with The Edge in singing the U2 song “City of Blinding Lights.” The Roots served as the house band. 

What they’re saying:

Valerie Jarrett, chief executive of the Obama Foundation and a longtime Obama adviser, said the event is designed to celebrate community engagement and public service.

“The Thursday celebration will reflect a spirit of inspiration and joy, with a big boost from the performers who are sharing their talent with us,” Jarrett said. “We hope to inspire people everywhere to believe in their power to bring change home.”

The backstory:

The Obama Presidential Center is located in Jackson Park on Chicago’s South Side, near the neighborhood where Obama lived and launched his political career.

The nearly 20-acre campus sits near the Griffin Museum of Science and Industry and the University of Chicago. It is expected to attract more than 1 million visitors annually.

The campus includes a towering museum that covers the political and personal realms of the nation’s first Black president, while public spaces include a branch of the Chicago Public Library, a playground and athletic center, basketball courts and a picnic area with grills.

General admission tickets for the center are sold out through the end of October. But tens of thousands of people have already been offered a sneak peek of the campus.

The other side:

President Donald Trump is not among the announced guests for Thursday’s ceremony.

In a February social media post, Trump criticized the $850 million project, calling it a “total disaster.”