Obama Presidential Center opens

It’s Juneteenth, Chicago. ✶

Juneteenth is a day to celebrate freedom, but it also serves as a reminder of this country’s ongoing push to live up to its pledge of “liberty and justice for all.”

A federal holiday as of 2021, Juneteenth commemorates June 19, 1865, when the last enslaved African Americans, living in Galveston, Texas, learned they had been freed — two years after the Emancipation Proclamation was issued.

This year, Juneteenth is commemorated through parades, community actions, celebrations and barbecues.

The holiday also falls on the public opening of the Obama Presidential Center, the decade-in-the-making museum, library and park dreamed up by former President Barack Obama, the nation’s first Black president. 

For this special edition of the Sun-Times’ morning newsletter, we tell you all you need to know about the Obama Center. We also share many ways to commemorate Juneteenth. 

📧 Subscribe: Get our morning newsletter delivered to your inbox weekday mornings.

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OBAMA PRESIDENTIAL CENTER 🇺🇸

Obama, Chicago celebrate presidential center that ‘could not be anywhere else’

By Tina Sfondeles, Mitchell Armentrout, Selena Fragassi and Cindy Hernandez

Standing in front of his namesake presidential center near the neighborhood where he launched his historic political career, former President Barack Obama paid homage Thursday to the city that inspired him to run and led him to love.

The South Sider who ascended to the White House and former first lady Michelle Obama also delivered pointed lessons about the country’s democratic values, with both making veiled references to President Donald Trump, the only living president not in attendance.

The Obamas offered up the long-awaited Jackson Park institution as a point of unification in a divided political moment.

The $850 million OPC is more than a decade in the making, having survived a protracted five-year legal battle over its location as well as pandemic-related delays. The star-studded dedication ceremony brought out three former presidents and first ladies, musical legends, and former staffers in celebration of the center, which Barack Obama described as “a vibrant, living celebration of community.” And Chicago was the only place to do that, he said.

Live coverage: On Thursday, we ran an hourslong live blog with key updates as the ceremony unfolded. Dive into our coverage here. 

Who attended: Thursday’s invite-only event was paired with a nearby watch party of hundreds gathered at Midway Plaisance Park. Politicians, celebrities, athletes and entertainers: Here’s a list of who our journalists saw at the opening ceremony.

Read Obama’s speech: The former president recalled his arrival in Chicago in 1985 at age 23, then asserted his mission statement for the center. Read the transcript here.

Photo gallery: Our photographers captured the day from multiple angles. See more here.

Public opening: The OPC opens to the public Friday, with events that continue through Sunday, which is Father’s Day. While museum tickets are unavailable for the next few months, the public can access other areas of the center.

READ MORE

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WATCH: OPC COVERAGE ▶️

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MORE ON OPC ✶

• Change they can believe in?: Residents and businesses in neighborhoods around the Obama Presidential Center hope to see a transformative fiscal return, but displacement remains a concern, especially as Airbnb rentals in the area are booming.
• Sticker shock: The presidential center has come with a privately funded $850 million price tag — and $123.3 million from the city for public infrastructure improvements, as of last month.
• Park history: Like the Obama Center, Jackson Park was born over the furious objections of Chicagoans. The parkland on which the center sits also had to overcome many hurdles before coming into existence. Even the name was once subject to “universal” outcry.
• Statuesque sculpture: A 7-foot, 1,200-pound bronze sculpture of the former president and first lady welcomes visitors to the OPC.
• Artist highlights: Dorian Sylvain of Hyde Park and Sam Kirk of Little Village created murals for Home Court, the center’s basketball court. Another standout are the benches designed by Norman Teague, whose studio is in Humboldt Park. And Njideka Akunyili Crosby this week unveiled her portrait of Barack and Michelle Obama.

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COMMENTARY 🗣️

• Natalie Y. Moore: The Obama Presidential Center is a monument to democracy, showing what it means to be a country in progress.
• Neil Steinberg: The new museum and campus dedicated to the 44th president isn’t meant to be a moment frozen in time, but a call to action for now and the future.
• Lee Bey: The Obama Center and its maligned signature building are worthy of consideration.

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WEEKEND LISTEN 🎧

Back in 2018, WBEZ’s “Making” released a six-part audio documentary on Obama’s rise from a South Side organizer, inspired by former Mayor Harold Washington, to U.S. senator and then to the country’s 44th president — a uniquely Chicago journey.

LISTEN HERE 🎧

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ON WBEZ 91.5 FM 📻

Live and on location: What does the Obama Presidential Center mean for Chicago?

Broadcasting 9-11 a.m. from along Stony Island Ave. in Jackson Park, just steps away from the center, hosts Sasha-Ann Simons and Mary Dixon talk with Mayor Brandon Johnson, former White House Chief of Staff Bill Daley and community leaders about the historic grand opening weekend, as it happens.

They are joined by Chicago Sun-Times columnist Natalie Moore, sharing reflections and neighborhood history, as well as WBEZ’s Patrick Smith, stationed outside the OPC talking with visitors.

LISTEN LIVE 🎧

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JUNETEENTH COMMEMORATIONS 🎉

The DuSable Juneteenth Celebration
10 a.m.-5 p.m. Friday
📍DuSable Black History Museum and Education Center, 740 E. 56th Place
Admission: Free

Juneteenth Soul City Celebration
10 a.m.-2 p.m. Friday
📍Forty Acres Fresh Market, 5713 W. Chicago Ave.
Admission: Free

Juneteenth Extravaganza
11 a.m. Friday
📍A Polished Work, 1000 E. 76th St.
Admission: Free

Boxing Out Negativity Juneteenth Celebration
3-7 p.m. Friday
📍1616 S. Avers Ave.
Admission: Free

1865 Fest
12-8 p.m. Friday and Saturday
📍 Garfield Park, Music Court Circle 100 S. Woodward Dr.
Admission: Free

Pullman Juneteenth parade and celebration
10 a.m. Saturday
📍Gately Stadium Park, 810 E. 103rd St.
Admission: Free

Juneteenth Parade and picnic
11 a.m. Saturday
📍Madison Street, Sacramento to Central Park; post-parade picnic in Garfield Park
Admission: Free

Beverly/Morgan Park Juneteenth Family Festival
12-7 p.m. Saturday
📍110th Street and Longwood Drive
Admission: Free

Embodied: A Pride x Juneteenth Variety Show
7:30 p.m. Saturday
📍Thalia Hall, 1807 S. Allport St.
Admission: $30+

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CHICAGO’S BLACK CHURCHES ⛪

This year, the Sun-Times and WBEZ have been exploring the history and impact of Black churches in Chicago. These religious institutions were landing pads during the Great Migration, centers for community action and sources of aid for congregants.

Nicole Jeanine Johnson has more:

• When they came North: How Olivet Baptist Church welcomed Black migrants during the Great Migration.
   
• When freedom was fragile: How Quinn Chapel AME helped people achieve freedom.
   
• Faith in action: How Lawndale Christian Community Church has secured housing for its neighbors.

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CHICAGO MINI CROSSWORD 🌭

Today’s clue: Areas represented by aldermen (of which Chicago has 50!)

PLAY NOW

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Thanks for reading the Sun-Times Special Edition! We’ll see you Monday.
Got a story you think we missed? Email us here.

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Written and curated by: Matt Moore
Editor: Eydie Cubarrubia

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