Obama Presidential Center Breaks Ground on the South Side of Chicago
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Former President Barack Obama spoke at the groundbreaking ceremony for the Obama Presidential Center on the South Side of Chicago on Tuesday.
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In his remarks, which he posted on Instagram Obama said:
Chicago is where I found my purpose, and where I finally put my ideas about democracy and activism and social change to the test. Most important, it’s where I met a brilliant, beautiful daughter of the South Side named Michelle Robinson. We were married here, our daughters were born here, and we bought our first home here. Chicago is where almost everything that’s most precious to me began. It’s where I found a home.
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We will always be grateful for that, and the Obama Presidential Center is our way of repaying some of what this city has given us.
But we’re also building this Center because we believe it can speak to some of the central struggles of our time. We are living through a moment of rapid disruption – in technology and the global economy, in our social arrangements and our environment. Too often, it feels as if our major institutions have failed to respond effectively to these disruptions. And in the breach, we’ve seen a growing culture of cynicism and mistrust, more division and more bitter conflict.
The good news is we can reverse these trends, reimagine our institutions, and rebuild our societies in a way that gives more and more people a better life.
I believe that because I’ve seen it. Around the world and right here in Chicago, there are young people who aren’t waiting for someone else to solve big problems. Instead, in the face of sometimes impossible odds, they are rolling up their sleeves and putting down stakes and making a difference, one neighborhood, one school, one community at a time.
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This coming generation of leaders is the source of my hope. And through this Center, we intend to give these young people the training, support, resources and platforms they need to fully realize their enormous potential, collaborate and share ideas, and bring their dreams to scale.
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Michelle and I can’t imagine a better legacy than that. For in this next generation of leaders, in Chicago and around the world, we see ourselves. The Obama Presidential Center is our way of showing young people everywhere that they can do the same.
