CHICAGO -- As Chicago prepares for this year's scheduled groundbreaking of the Obama Presidential Center, the former president Friday touted the campus as a bridge toward healing a city hit by trying times.
Former President Barack Obama engaged in a virtual discussion with the Economic Club of Chicago that also included comments on the state of the nation.
He said that more so than other cities, his hometown has weathered acute economic inequality that can be linked to segregation. While stressing that Chicago remains both a world-class city and one with neighborhoods that feel left behind, Obama said his presidential center will bridge those gaps and uplift the South Side to be "on par" with the more-resourced downtown and North Side.
"How can we make this into something that helps bring Chicago together at a time when Chicago, like much of the country, sometimes feels divided?" Obama said.
He set out to distinguish the center from traditional presidential libraries. The site, which in 2017 already was breaking from the usual model by opting out of the presidential library network, will be an engine for the community outreach that he credits with the launch of his political career, he said.
"Traditionally, presidential libraries, I think, can be a little backward-looking in the sense of they're a celebration of a presidency or a president; sometimes maybe kind of a mausoleum in the sense of not much is happening," Obama said. "Our thought was, well, let's create an institution that is alive and vibrant and is bringing people together.
Obama selected Jackson Park, the South Side green land sandwiched between Lake Michigan and Woodlawn, as the site of his center in 2016, predicting it would open in 2021. His choice was heralded by supporters who hoped the project would help revitalize neighboring communities and become a source of pride for both South Side locals and visitors. But some neighbors worried about housing displacement or the loss of public parkland.
The campus will include a museum in honor of the nation's first Black president and first lady, Obama Foundation offices, a public library branch, an athletic center and an outdoor recreation space. About 750,000 visitors are expected annually. Initially, the bricks-and-mortar cost was slated to be $500 million, but Obama Foundation President Valerie Jarrett on Friday said it would be nearly $700 million.
After a recently completed federal review into the location of the Obama Presidential Center on public parkland delayed the groundbreaking for years, foundation officials set a new date for shovels to hit the ground this fall.
There also was a 2018 lawsuit from the nonprofit Protect Our Parks, alleging that officials did not have the authority to transfer public parkland to a private nongovernmental entity, that was tossed out in August. Though the group filed a second suit in April, Jarrett said "we are very confident we're on solid legal footing."
She also announced the foundation has raised almost $900 million. Chicago community organizations have donated $266 million, with a goal of $400 million.
Obama also again weighed in on the Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol riot, which he characterized as an "insurrection" that cast a troubling future for the GOP.
"You had one of the major American political parties not only fail to condemn some of that behavior but embrace a patently false narrative about the election being stolen that is being still perpetuated," Obama said.
He went on to chastise the GOP for enacting restrictive state voter laws and said corporations have a responsibility to push back. And he said the traditional media ecosystem has given way to a social media rumor mill that has gotten "a third to half of the country believing in stuff that is completely made-up."