Jun 26
seen from China
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from China
seen from United States
seen from Italy
seen from United States
seen from China
seen from United States
seen from China
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from Germany
seen from United States
seen from Malaysia
seen from Germany
seen from United States
seen from Russia
seen from Australia
There are many photos of the new Obama Presidential Center already, but while I have seen plenty from the west, from the north, from the south -- even from the air! -- I haven't seen many (well, any) from the east, where it is bordered by the lush, gorgeous Jackson Park.
So since I was out on a nice early morning walk in Jackson Park anyway, on a gorgeous cool overcast late spring morning recently, I took some photos of the Obama Center from that side.
And friends, boys, and girls, it looks stunning in that setting.
Barack Obama@BarackObama
To George and Laura, Bill and Hillary — we're grateful for your friendship, counsel, and devotion to this country. And to Joe and Jill, thank you for being on this journey with us.
Michael Jochum is at Playa Corona, Chapultapec, Baja.
The Obama Presidential Center: A Tale of Two Americas
It’s a beautiful marine-layer morning here at my little home by the sea in Chapultepec, Mexico. The wind chimes are carrying on their familiar conversation with the breeze, the Pacific is rolling ashore with its usual quiet confidence, and I find myself watching something that feels increasingly rare in modern America: a public event centered on community, education, culture, and hope. As the opening ceremonies of the Obama Presidential Center unfolded in Chicago, I realized I wasn’t simply watching the dedication of a museum. I was watching a reminder of what leadership can look like when it is rooted in service rather than self-promotion, and what a presidential legacy can become when it is designed to outlive the person whose name appears on the building.
The Obama Presidential Center is not merely a monument to a former president. It is a sprawling investment in the future. The campus includes a museum, a public library branch, reading rooms, playgrounds, gardens, educational facilities, and community gathering spaces designed to serve generations of people long after today’s political arguments have faded into history. Located on Chicago’s South Side, a community that shaped both Barack and Michelle Obama, the center reflects the values they have championed throughout their lives: civic engagement, education, literacy, opportunity, and public service.
As the ceremony began, I found myself struck not only by who was present, but by the spirit of the gathering itself. Former Presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Joe Biden took their seats alongside former first ladies and world leaders. Former Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was there. Former German Chancellor Angela Merkel was there. George Lucas was in attendance. Mark Hamill, forever Luke Skywalker to millions, was there. Stephen Colbert mingled among the crowd, while David Letterman and Conan O’Brien were expected later. Several Democratic leaders frequently mentioned as possible presidential candidates in 2028, including JB Pritzker, Josh Shapiro, Gavin Newsom, and Mark Kelly, were also present. Yet despite the extraordinary collection of political, cultural, and international figures gathered in one place, the focus never drifted toward celebrity. The center itself remained the star of the day.
The festivities opened with an electrifying performance by The Roots, who launched into Donald Byrd’s “Change (Makes You Want to Hustle),” before transitioning into “You Got Me” and Bob Marley’s timeless “Get Up, Stand Up.” It was a fitting opening for a celebration centered on participation, community, and progress. Throughout the day, an extraordinary lineup of artists contributed to the festivities, including Bruce Springsteen, Stevie Wonder, Jennifer Hudson, John Legend, Common, Christina Aguilera, Eddie Vedder, Marc Anthony, Tems, Bono, and The Edge. Looking at the performers assembled onstage, it felt less like a political event and more like a cultural celebration of the very best aspects of American life: creativity, diversity, and the belief that art can bring people together.
One of the most powerful moments came during Jennifer Hudson’s opening performance. Cameras caught former President Joe Biden visibly emotional as the music filled the plaza. Barack and Michelle Obama sat quietly taking it all in, while guests from around the world applauded. It was a reminder that history is not simply something written in books. Sometimes it sits quietly before you, reflecting on the journey that brought everyone to that moment.
What struck me most throughout the ceremony was Barack Obama himself. This was, after all, a center bearing his name. It would have been easy for him to make himself the focal point of every camera shot, every speech, and every conversation. Instead, he seemed entirely comfortable sitting toward the back, observing, listening, and allowing the spotlight to shine on the people, the community, the performers, and the mission of the center. He appeared genuinely engaged in the event rather than interested in himself. In a political era dominated by ego and grievance, that quiet confidence felt almost revolutionary.
The emotional centerpiece of the day arrived when Michelle Obama took the stage. Her remarks were not delivered as a campaign speech, nor were they framed as a celebration of political accomplishments. Instead, they felt like a love letter to Chicago, to community, and to the man she met there decades ago. Looking out at the audience, she urged people to embrace the center as their own.
“Make this campus a part of your lives. Leave the acrimony behind. A stubbornly optimistic place. A center here that is grounded in our stories, but it’s not about us.”
Those final words carried enormous weight.
It’s not about us.
Standing inside a center bearing her family’s name, Michelle Obama reminded everyone that the institution was never intended to glorify the Obamas. It was intended to serve others. It was intended to become a gathering place for students, families, readers, educators, and citizens. It was intended to belong to the community.
As she spoke about the young lawyer she met in Chicago, the family they built together, and the extraordinary journey that eventually carried them to the White House and back home again, Barack Obama appeared visibly moved. There was something deeply human about the moment. For a brief time, the former president wasn’t a former president at all. He was simply a husband listening to his wife tell the story of their shared life. It was authentic, heartfelt, and profoundly refreshing.
What made Michelle Obama’s speech especially powerful was that it served as both a tribute to her husband and a reflection on what emerged from his presidency. The center itself is, in many ways, the physical expression of ideas Barack Obama spent eight years promoting. Education. Civic engagement. Community organizing. Public service. Hope. The belief that democracy works best when citizens remain informed, involved, and connected to one another. Those values now exist not only in speeches and memories but in bricks, pathways, libraries, classrooms, and gardens.
Michelle also delivered some of the sharpest observations of the afternoon without ever mentioning Donald Trump by name. Her references to optimism, community, empathy, and the need to leave acrimony behind felt impossible to separate from the current political climate. No direct comparison was necessary. The contrast was already obvious. At a moment when so much of American politics seems fueled by anger, division, and perpetual grievance, she offered a vision rooted in hope and possibility.
Another special moment came when Bono and The Edge appeared. Seeing the two Irish rock legends participate in the festivities was both unexpected and perfectly fitting in a city whose history has been shaped by generations of Irish immigrants. Their presence reinforced the international respect Barack Obama continues to command and added yet another layer to a ceremony that already felt remarkably diverse in its voices and perspectives.
Some of the most meaningful observations, however, came not from celebrities or politicians but from ordinary Chicago residents. Multiple attendees spoke about feeling hopeful for the first time in a long while. Others praised the decision to locate the center on the South Side, describing it as a genuine investment in communities that have often been overlooked. One resident remarked that the center demonstrates who the Obamas truly are, people who have consistently worked from the grassroots level upward. Listening to those comments, I was reminded that lasting legacies are not measured by social media posts or cable news appearances. They are measured by what remains after the cameras leave.
Watching Malia and Sasha Obama sitting beside their parents brought another layer of meaning to the day. Millions of Americans remember them entering the White House as children. Now they are accomplished young women pursuing lives of their own. Seeing them there reminded me of the letter Barack Obama once wrote to his daughters, expressing his hope that they would grow up in a world where there were no limits on their dreams and no achievements beyond their reach. More importantly, he wrote that he wanted every child to have those same opportunities. That sentiment remains one of the clearest expressions of the philosophy that shaped both his presidency and this center.
Of course, not everyone viewed the day through the same lens. Donald Trump could not resist inserting himself into an event from which he was notably absent. He dismissed the center as something that would become a “Mecca” for people who hate America. The remark was revealing in its own way. While thousands gathered to celebrate education, literacy, community, history, and public service, Trump once again saw enemies and grievances. It was a reminder that some people view libraries as opportunities and others view them as threats.
As I sat here listening to the wind chimes and watching the Pacific disappear into the morning haze, I couldn’t help reflecting on the extraordinary contrast between what I was witnessing and what Americans watched just days ago. One event celebrated books, culture, learning, public service, and community. The other revolved around spectacle, branding, aggression, and performance. One looked toward future generations. The other seemed consumed by the demands of the present moment. One sought to build something lasting. The other sought attention.
History eventually strips away the noise. The slogans fade. The rallies end. The headlines disappear. What remains are the things leaders choose to build. Long after today’s arguments have been forgotten, children will still be reading books in the library. Families will still be walking through the gardens. Students will still be learning in the classrooms. Neighbors will still be gathering in community spaces created specifically for them.
That, ultimately, is what a legacy looks like.
The Obama Presidential Center is not simply a museum dedicated to the past. It is a statement about the future. It is a declaration that literacy matters. That community matters. That public service matters. That democracy requires participation. That optimism remains worthwhile even during difficult times. Watching the opening ceremony from my little home by the sea, I found myself feeling something I haven’t felt very often lately.
Hope.
Not nostalgia. Not longing for the past.
Hope.
Because if thousands of people can still gather around the ideals of education, compassion, citizenship, and community, then perhaps those values never disappeared at all. Perhaps they have simply been waiting patiently for their turn to lead again.
Dear President Obama,
I know you’re enjoying your life with family and friends in the private sector, but could you please at least consider a run for president in 2028?
Sincerely,
Intelligent, compassionate, empathetic, patriotic Americans and the global community
Michael Jochum
Not Just a Drummer: Reflections on Art, Music, Politics, Dogs, and the Human Condition
The Horror. The Horror.
With apologies to Allen Ginsberg.
I saw the best architects of my generation destroyed by madness, starving hysterical naked,
dragging themselves through the negro streets at dawn looking for an angry fix,
angelheaded hipsters burning for the ancient heavenly connection to the starry dynamo in the machinery of night,
who poverty and tatters and hollow-eyed and high sat up smoking in the supernatural darkness of cold-water flats floating across the tops of cities contemplating jazz,
who bared their brains to Heaven under the El and saw Mohammedan angels staggering on tenement roofs illuminated,
who passed through universities with radiant cool eyes hallucinating Arkansas and Blake-light tragedy among the scholars of war,
who were expelled from the academies for crazy & publishing obscene odes on the windows of the skull,
who cowered in unshaven rooms in underwear, burning their money in wastebaskets and listening to the Terror through the wall,
Babylon Bee: Obama Library To Feature Interactive Exhibit Where Visitors Can Print Their Own Birth Certificates
Babylon Bee: Obama Library To Feature Interactive Exhibit Where Visitors Can Print Their Own Birth Certificates CHICAGO, IL — According to early reviews, the new Obama Presidential Center boasts an exciting interactive exhibit for all ages where guests can make their own birth certificate. The hotly anticipated feature will allow visitors to step into the shoes of America’s 44th…
Oval Office Vulcan salute - President Obama and Nichelle Nichols. Photo by Pete Souza. Obama Library, NARA ID 200283671.
Nichelle Nichols at NASA's Glenn Research Center, 4/20/1977, NARA ID 17468123.
#RIP Nichelle Nichols Star Trek's Lt. Uhura goes to the final frontier By Miriam Kleiman, Public Affairs
Nichelle Nichols - NASA Recruitment Film 1977.
“Last night, my mother, Nichelle Nichols, succumbed to natural causes and passed away. Her light however, like the ancient galaxies now being seen for the first time, will remain for us and future generations to enjoy, learn from, and draw inspiration. Hers was a life well lived and as such a model for us all." Statement from Nichols’ son, Kyle Johnson
Nichols with adoring fans at NASA's Glenn Research Center, 4/20/1977, NARA ID 17468124 .
Nichelle Nichols holds a piece of a satellite presented by Capt. David Martin at NORAD, 1/6/1977, RG 342. Online here.
NORAD press release 1/6/1977, RG 342, Records of US Air Force, online.
More online:
In Memoriam: Nichelle Nichols (1932-2022), National Archives News.
To Boldly Go Where No (Wo)Man Has Gone Before… by Archives Specialist Netisha Currie.
Nichelle Nichols Helped NASA Break Boundaries on Earth and in Space, NASA.gov
Mae Carol Jemison- The First African American Woman in Space, Pieces of History by Dena Lombardo.
Space Exploration - NASA Records at the National Archives
Centro Presidencial Obama: A Mensagem Criptografada no Templo Faraônico da Nova Ordem Mundial
O que se esconde por trás das paredes de concreto ultra-espessas do novo e monumental Centro Presidencial Obama em Chicago? À primeira vista, a megaestrutura de US$ 850 milhões é vendida ao público como um farol de esperança e um polo de ativismo comunitário. Sob a superfície, contudo, o complexo abandonou as diretrizes das tradicionais bibliotecas americanas — banindo os livros físicos e os arquivos do Estado — para dar lugar a um bunker monolítico que críticos e analistas já apelidaram de "Obalisco" ou "Obamausoléu".
Entre gastos exorbitantes que asfixiam a comunidade carente ao redor e uma arquitetura imponente que funde o misticismo dos faraós egípcios à frieza geométrica de distopias cinematográficas, ergue-se um enigma visual no topo da torre: um colossal criptograma de concreto cujas letras fragmentadas parecem ocultar as diretrizes de uma nova era de controle.
De sua formação sob as táticas radicais de Saul Alinsky ao sincretismo oculto de suas formas; das conexões estéticas com as demolidas Georgia Guidestones à impressionante programação preditiva traçada no filme apocalíptico Leave the World Behind, produzido pelo próprio ex-presidente; cada detalhe desta fortaleza de granito aponta para um propósito muito mais profundo do que a mera preservação histórica.
Prepare-se para mergulhar em uma investigação narrativa e jornalística detalhada. Nas linhas a seguir, desvendamos a concepção, os segredos arquitetônicos, o texto integral decifrado da fachada e a profunda análise simbólica que transforma este monumento no primeiro grande templo físico da tecnocracia global. Continue lendo e descubra o que o futuro nos reserva sob a sombra do monólito.
Centro Presidencial Obama: A Mensagem Criptografada no Templo Faraônico da Nova Ordem Mundial by Claudio Suenaga on Patreon. Join Claudio
