Email from President Obama: “A day on the South Side”
Earlier today, President Obama shared the message below with our email subscribers to reflect on his recent visit to Jackson Park and the South Side of Chicago. If you'd like to receive email updates like these, as well as other Foundation news, you can sign up here.
Yesterday, I visited Jackson Park, the future home of the Obama Presidential Center, and surprised some of the Center’s future neighbors.
Take a look:
President Obama surprises Chicago Southside youth football team in Jackson Park
We can’t wait to bring this Center to the South Side. For Michelle and me, this project is about more than building a gathering space and museum—it’s an opportunity to bring jobs, investment, and economic opportunity to a neighborhood that’s given us so much.
But we also know that to be successful, this project needs to not just be for the community, it must be built in partnership with the community.
That’s why, this week, I spent time with local business owners at South Shore Brew coffee shop and got to hear from them directly about their hopes for the Center.
I also stopped by the Wolfpack youth football team’s practice and talked to some of the kids who use Jackson Park every day. I came away certain that by working together, we can build a space that will act as an economic catalyst for the community, create new jobs in the neighborhood, and serve as a gathering place for young people to learn, play, and take action.
We’re so excited to break ground on the Center this fall. When it’s completed, we look forward to welcoming hundreds of thousands of visitors to the South Side and introducing them to the community we love.
—Barack