August 14, 2025 • 4 mins
In this week’s segment, we journey to Chicago’s South Side to explore the transformative vision behind the Obama Presidential Center. More than just a museum, the Center is a living tribute to President Barack Obama’s legacy and a beacon of hope for future generations. Located in Jackson Park, steps from where President Obama began his career, the Center is designed to be a vibrant civic hub — featuring a public plaza, a branch of the Chicago Public Library, classrooms, a Winter Garden Café, and an auditorium open to all.
Listeners will hear how the architectural design, inspired by hands holding a vessel of light, symbolizes a welcoming lantern for the community. The segment also delves into the deep personal connection the Obamas have to the South Side, and how the Center will celebrate their story within the broader context of American history. With input from local residents and a focus on accessibility, the Center is being built not just for reflection, but for action—empowering youth, fostering dialogue, and inspiring civic engagement.
This episode reminds us that hope isn’t just a feeling — it’s a place. And in Chicago, that place now has an address.
Listen now!
Listeners will hear how the architectural design, inspired by hands holding a vessel of light, symbolizes a welcoming lantern for the community. The segment also delves into the deep personal connection the Obamas have to the South Side, and how the Center will celebrate their story within the broader context of American history. With input from local residents and a focus on accessibility, the Center is being built not just for reflection, but for action—empowering youth, fostering dialogue, and inspiring civic engagement.
This episode reminds us that hope isn’t just a feeling — it’s a place. And in Chicago, that place now has an address.
Listen now!
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hope in the face of difficulty, Hope in the face
of uncertainty, the audacity of hope. I'm asking you to
believe not in my ability to bring about change, but
in yours. Yes, we can.
Speaker 2 (00:16):
Hope is more than a feeling. It's a foundation honoring
our past, overcoming adversity, progressing with purpose, and empowering our future.
Hope has an address, and on the South side of Chicago.
It's written in bold letters, the Obama Presidential Center. Today
we begin the story of the Obama Presidential Center, a
(00:37):
place where vision and history converge on Chicago's South Side.
It's all here, at the crossroads of legacy and ambition.
Welcome to Hope has an address. I'm Breewood for the
Black Information Network. Outside the Center, the garden is full
of life. Butterflies float from flower to flower. Elders sit
(01:01):
on benches, Teenagers gather around them, listening closely. This garden
it offers more than just a place to sit. It's
a classroom where wisdom is passed down like a baton
in a relay, encouraging the next generation to run their
race toward justice, toward joy. The Obama Presidential Center is
(01:22):
a cultural educational and civic hub. But for many it's
something deeper. It's a mirror, a chance to see greatness.
Speaker 3 (01:30):
For the south Side, I think the South Side of
Chicago is one of the most dynamic, robust, transformational spaces
that I know I've been privileged to live and be
a part of.
Speaker 4 (01:41):
It's an interesting blend of civic involvement, of commit education,
but also a climent to the arts.
Speaker 2 (01:47):
It's a legacy proof that this place and its people
have always mattered.
Speaker 4 (01:52):
When you think about the visibility that it's going to
bring to thee in Chicago, the voice that it's going
to bring to the residents of the city of Chicago,
it really makes me excited. All of a sudden, the
South Side is no longer the side you don't want
to come to. The south Side is now the jewel
of the city. We've known that for a long time,
want the rest of the city.
Speaker 2 (02:09):
For Black communities in Chicago and across the country, the
Center serves as a beacon. It shines outward, telling the
truth and our stories and dreams deserve a home.
Speaker 1 (02:19):
The way we imagine this as different hands coming together,
maybe holding a vessel of light in your way, holding
something precious and I.
Speaker 4 (02:28):
Think that it is a kind of welcome lantern for
the community and the south Side.
Speaker 2 (02:33):
So when you walk through with doors, whether you're a visitor,
a volunteer, a student, a leader, or a dreamer, you're
not just entering a building. It's a space that says clearly,
you belong here, your story belongs here, and hope lives here.
Speaker 1 (02:50):
Here's the most important thing. Michelle and I want the
Center to be more than just a building. We want
to create an economic engine for the South Side of Chicago,
attraction that showcases the south Side to the rest of
the world. We want it to be a gathering place,
somewhere for all kinds of people to come together and learn,
not just from history or current events, but from each other.
(03:13):
More than a museum with stories from the past, we
want this to be a place that helps all of
us to build our collective future. Because in the end,
this center, most importantly is for the leaders of tomorrow.
We're ready to step up and create the world as
it should be. We want this place to inspire them,
to lift them up, to give them the tools they
need to succeed.
Speaker 4 (03:33):
I'm thrilled to be able to put this resource in
the heart of the neighborhood that means the world to me.
Every value, every memory, every important relationship to me exists
in Chicago. I consider myself a Southsider.
Speaker 2 (03:52):
From Chicago's South Side to every corner of the country.
Hope has an address, and it's right here at the
Obama Center. To be a part of this movement, visit
Obama dot org. You can also tap into the conversation
on our website at binnews dot com. I'm Breewood for
the Black Information Network. Join us next time for more
(04:14):
stories of global impact rooted in local action.
Hope in the face of difficulty, Hope in the face
of uncertainty, the audacity of hope. I'm asking you to
believe not in my ability to bring about change, but
in yours. Yes, we can.
Speaker 2 (00:16):
Hope is more than a feeling. It's a foundation honoring
our past, overcoming adversity, progressing with purpose, and empowering our future.
Hope has an address, and on the South side of Chicago.
It's written in bold letters, the Obama Presidential Center. Today
we begin the story of the Obama Presidential Center, a
(00:37):
place where vision and history converge on Chicago's South Side.
It's all here, at the crossroads of legacy and ambition.
Welcome to Hope has an address. I'm Breewood for the
Black Information Network. Outside the Center, the garden is full
of life. Butterflies float from flower to flower. Elders sit
(01:01):
on benches, Teenagers gather around them, listening closely. This garden
it offers more than just a place to sit. It's
a classroom where wisdom is passed down like a baton
in a relay, encouraging the next generation to run their
race toward justice, toward joy. The Obama Presidential Center is
(01:22):
a cultural educational and civic hub. But for many it's
something deeper. It's a mirror, a chance to see greatness.
Speaker 3 (01:30):
For the south Side, I think the South Side of
Chicago is one of the most dynamic, robust, transformational spaces
that I know I've been privileged to live and be
a part of.
Speaker 4 (01:41):
It's an interesting blend of civic involvement, of commit education,
but also a climent to the arts.
Speaker 2 (01:47):
It's a legacy proof that this place and its people
have always mattered.
Speaker 4 (01:52):
When you think about the visibility that it's going to
bring to thee in Chicago, the voice that it's going
to bring to the residents of the city of Chicago,
it really makes me excited. All of a sudden, the
South Side is no longer the side you don't want
to come to. The south Side is now the jewel
of the city. We've known that for a long time,
want the rest of the city.
Speaker 2 (02:09):
For Black communities in Chicago and across the country, the
Center serves as a beacon. It shines outward, telling the
truth and our stories and dreams deserve a home.
Speaker 1 (02:19):
The way we imagine this as different hands coming together,
maybe holding a vessel of light in your way, holding
something precious and I.
Speaker 4 (02:28):
Think that it is a kind of welcome lantern for
the community and the south Side.
Speaker 2 (02:33):
So when you walk through with doors, whether you're a visitor,
a volunteer, a student, a leader, or a dreamer, you're
not just entering a building. It's a space that says clearly,
you belong here, your story belongs here, and hope lives here.
Speaker 1 (02:50):
Here's the most important thing. Michelle and I want the
Center to be more than just a building. We want
to create an economic engine for the South Side of Chicago,
attraction that showcases the south Side to the rest of
the world. We want it to be a gathering place,
somewhere for all kinds of people to come together and learn,
not just from history or current events, but from each other.
(03:13):
More than a museum with stories from the past, we
want this to be a place that helps all of
us to build our collective future. Because in the end,
this center, most importantly is for the leaders of tomorrow.
We're ready to step up and create the world as
it should be. We want this place to inspire them,
to lift them up, to give them the tools they
need to succeed.
Speaker 4 (03:33):
I'm thrilled to be able to put this resource in
the heart of the neighborhood that means the world to me.
Every value, every memory, every important relationship to me exists
in Chicago. I consider myself a Southsider.
Speaker 2 (03:52):
From Chicago's South Side to every corner of the country.
Hope has an address, and it's right here at the
Obama Center. To be a part of this movement, visit
Obama dot org. You can also tap into the conversation
on our website at binnews dot com. I'm Breewood for
the Black Information Network. Join us next time for more
(04:14):
stories of global impact rooted in local action.
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