In a surprise appearance, the Obamas greeted the first 100 visitors to the Obama Presidential Center that first opened to the public on Juneteenth on Chicago's South Side. In awe, guests shook hands with former President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama against the backdrop of a colorful, 38-foot-tall painting depicting a map of Chicago stretching to the ceiling – inspired by Carl Sandburg's 1914 poem about the city: "stormy, husky, brawling, City of the Big Shoulders."   The room is framed by

On a Friday morning on Chicago’s South Side, President Obama and Mrs. Obama kicked off the public opening of the Obama Presidential Center with a special story time for children and families. Together, the Obamas read Maurice Sendak's beloved classic Where the Wild Things Are – which celebrates the power of imagination, curiosity, and storytelling – while welcoming a new generation to the Obama Presidential Center. The event reflected one of the Center's core missions: inspiring young people t