{"id":4917,"date":"2026-06-18T17:31:28","date_gmt":"2026-06-18T17:31:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/houstonmovingjournal.com\/?p=4917"},"modified":"2026-06-18T17:31:28","modified_gmt":"2026-06-18T17:31:28","slug":"obama-presidential-center-opens-with-star-studded-dedication-ceremony-in-chicago","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/houstonmovingjournal.com\/?p=4917","title":{"rendered":"Obama Presidential Center opens with star-studded dedication ceremony in Chicago"},"content":{"rendered":"<div> <!-- --> <!-- --><\/p>\n<p><span><strong>CHICAGO<\/strong> &#8211; <\/span>Former President Barack Obama is celebrating the opening of the Obama Presidential Center in Chicago with a star-studded event featuring former presidents, musicians and other prominent guests.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/houstonmovingjournal.com\/?p=4915\">Archaeologists discover second intact Battle of the Alamo cannonball in three months<\/a><\/p>\n<p>What we know:<\/p>\n<p> <!-- --><\/p>\n<p>Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama are expected to deliver remarks during Thursday\u2019s invite-only dedication ceremony.<\/p>\n<p> <!-- --><\/p>\n<div><\/div>\n<p> <!-- --><\/p>\n<p>The event marks the official opening of the Obama Presidential Center and kicks off a weekend of celebrations ahead of the campus opening to the public on Friday, which is Juneteenth.<\/p>\n<p> <!-- --> <!-- --><\/p>\n<p>The guest list reportedly includes former Presidents George W. Bush, Bill Clinton and Joe Biden, along with performers Bruce Springsteen, Stevie Wonder, Christina Aguilera and Bono.<\/p>\n<p> <!-- --><\/p>\n<p>Other scheduled appearances include Common, Jennifer Hudson, Eddie Vedder, John Legend, Marc Anthony and The Roots.<\/p>\n<p> <!-- --><\/p>\n<p>What they&#8217;re saying:<\/p>\n<p> <!-- --><\/p>\n<p>Valerie Jarrett, chief executive of the Obama Foundation and a longtime Obama adviser, said the event is designed to celebrate community engagement and public service.<\/p>\n<p> <!-- --><\/p>\n<p>&#8220;The Thursday celebration will reflect a spirit of inspiration and joy, with a big boost from the performers who are sharing their talent with us,&#8221; Jarrett said. &#8220;We hope to inspire people everywhere to believe in their power to bring change home.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/houstonmovingjournal.com\/?p=4908\">\u2018Elf\u2019 actor Faizon Love arrested in Hillsborough County: Records<\/a><\/p>\n<p> <!-- --> <!-- --><\/p>\n<p>The backstory:<\/p>\n<p> <!-- --><\/p>\n<p>The Obama Presidential Center is located in Jackson Park on Chicago\u2019s South Side, near the neighborhood where Obama lived and launched his political career.<\/p>\n<p> <!-- --><\/p>\n<p>The nearly 20-acre campus sits near the Griffin Museum of Science and Industry and the University of Chicago. It is expected to attract more than 1 million visitors annually.<\/p>\n<p> <!-- --> <!-- --><\/p>\n<p>The campus includes a towering museum that covers the political and personal realms of the nation\u2019s first Black president, while public spaces include a branch of the Chicago Public Library, a playground and athletic center, basketball courts and a picnic area with grills.<\/p>\n<p> <!-- --><\/p>\n<p>General admission tickets for the center are sold out through the end of October. But tens of thousands of people have already been offered a sneak peek of the campus.<\/p>\n<p> <!-- --><\/p>\n<p>The other side:<\/p>\n<p> <!-- --><\/p>\n<p>President Donald Trump is not among the announced guests for Thursday\u2019s ceremony.<\/p>\n<p> <!-- --><\/p>\n<p>In a February social media post, Trump criticized the $850 million project, calling it a &#8220;total disaster.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/houstonmovingjournal.com\/?p=4905\">White House UFC Freedom 250 attack plot: Alleged ringleader was in US illegally, DHS says<\/a><\/p>\n<p> <!-- --> <!-- --> <!-- --> <\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Barack Obama is celebrating the opening of his presidential center in Chicago today with Bruce Springsteen, Stevie Wonder, Bono and three former presidents. Here\u2019s what to know.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4916,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[261,262,8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4917","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-barack-obama","category-michelle-obama","category-news"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Obama Presidential Center opens with star-studded dedication ceremony in Chicago - Houston Moving Journal<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/houstonmovingjournal.com\/?p=4917\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Obama Presidential Center opens with star-studded dedication ceremony in Chicago - Houston Moving Journal\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Barack Obama is celebrating the opening of his presidential center in Chicago today with Bruce Springsteen, Stevie Wonder, Bono and three former presidents. 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