(TruthandLiberty.com) – In September 2021, ground broke on President Barack Obama’s presidential library after years of pushback by local officials and a lengthy federal review process. The massive presidential library’s location will be on the south side of Chicago, where former First Lady Michelle Obama grew up. Recently, the Obama Foundation revealed the center doesn’t intend to reflect other presidential libraries. Instead, it will focus on the “Yes we can” message from the 2008 presidential campaign.
While the 44th president’s library won’t officially open until 2025, the public is learning how it will reflect Obama’s social justice vision for America. Before entering political office in Illinois, Obama was a community organizer and activist who rose to become the United States’ first black president.
John Lewis. Mae Jemison. Elie Wiesel. Eleanor Roosevelt. Here’s how the Obama Presidential Center, due to open in 2025, is seeking to “change the paradigm around naming public spaces.”https://t.co/l6Yr0Z7Ire
— USA TODAY (@USATODAY) February 21, 2022
Instead of promoting donors prominently by naming them in different areas of the center, organizers will give them a back seat so the library can celebrate names of individuals who changed American lives through their journey.
The list will include several civil rights heroes:
- Hadiya Pendleton was a black Chicago teen shot and killed eight days after attending Obama’s presidential inauguration.
- Rep. John Lewis was a black Congressman and civil rights icon.
- Mae Jemison is an engineer and medical doctor who’s notable as the first black astronaut to go into space.
- Harold Washington was Chicago’s first black mayor.
Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon and one of the richest men globally, donated $100 million to Obama’s presidential library. The Obama Foundation said they would announce a list of more prominent donors and dedications in the future.
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