Five years after the groundbreaking, the Obama Presidential Center kicked off its opening weekend Thursday with a special ceremony on the Jackson Park campus. The highly anticipated event brought together a wide variety of big names including former Presidents George W. Bush, Bill Clinton and Joe Biden.
Sitting on stage were Matteo Renzi, former prime minister of Italy; Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj, former president and prime minister of Mongolia; Justin Trudeau, former prime minister of Canada; Angela Merkel, former chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany; former Vice President Kamala Harris and Douglas Emhoff; former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton; former President George W. Bush and former First Lady Laura Bush; former President Joe Biden and former First Lady Jill Biden; and Malia and Sasha Obama, former First Lady Michelle Obama and former President Barack Obama.