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Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama are expected to give
remarks. The invite-only celebration will be livestreamed and
kicks off a weekend of events centered around the Obama
Presidential Center, which opens to the general public on
Juneteenth.
President Donald Trump is not among the announced guests. He
called the $850 million center a “total disaster” in a social
media post in February.
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,” said Valerie Jarrett, the Obama
Foundation’s chief executive and former Obama top adviser. “We
hope to inspire people everywhere to believe in their power to
bring change home.”
Other celebrities slated to appear on Thursday include Common,
Jennifer Hudson, Eddie Vedder, John Legend, Marc Anthony and The
Roots.
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 nearly 20-acre campus on
Chicago's South Side in Jackson Park.
The center, located near where Obama lived and began his
political career, is expected to attract more than 1 million
visitors annually. It is adjacent to the Griffin Museum of
Science and Industry in the lakefront park, and not far from the
University of Chicago.
The campus includes a towering museum that covers the political
and personal realms of the nation’s 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.
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