By Melanie Eversley
Former President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama returned to Chicago Tuesday to help break ground for the long-delayed Obama Presidential Center.
“Chicago is where I found the purpose I’d been seeking,” Obama said at the ceremony marking the beginning of construction. “Chicago is where everything most precious to me begins.”
In Chicago, Obama was an activist and began his political life. It’s where he also met the love of his life.
“My experience in Chicago made me believe in the power of place, and the power of people,” the former president said. “Those beliefs guided me all the way through my presidency and they have shaped our vision for the Obama Presidential Center.”
Michelle Obama also had words of admiration for the city where she grew up.
“One of my greatest honors is being a proud Chicagoan, a daughter of the South Side,” she said. “I still lead with that descriptor. I wear it boldly and proudly.”
The site in Chicago’s Jackson Park faced opposition from park preservationists, but the Obamas have said that the project will enhance the park space, which they plan to open up to the community, the Chicago Tribune reported.
Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot and Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker also spoke at the groundbreaking. President Joe Biden sent a videotaped message.
