Locals Rip Obama Over Latest Update To Controversial Presidential Library
Recent updates to the Obama Presidential Center have drawn criticism from some local residents following the release of new renderings and details about the project’s design and construction plans.
The Obama Foundation unveiled revised renderings this week intended to show how the center’s exterior and surrounding space will look once completed. But the unusual design of former President Barack Obama’s new presidential center in Chicago is facing fresh criticism, this time due to complaints that a newly added inscription on the building is nearly illegible.
The text, which comes from a speech Obama gave in Selma, Alabama, in 2015 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the historic civil rights marches, has left many people squinting and scratching their heads because of its layout and the way it wraps around the structure.
“I’m outside the Obama Center museum tower right now. The new letters — an excerpt from Obama’s Selma speech — are tough read to me, giving off the lorem ipsum vibes,” Chicago Sun-Times architecture critic Lee Bay wrote on LinkedIn, a reference to the Latin placeholder text often used in graphic design templates.
“The words are cut off. The Ts, Ls, and Is are indistinguishable,” former investment banker and best-selling author John LeFevre noted on X, adding that the structure “Looks like a trash can.”
Temple University Professor Jacob Shell also said that the E’s are also “indistinguishable from F’s,” and that “multiple words get disjointed — not just on one plane but two.”
“Truly, one of the most headache-inducing reading experiences I’ve ever had,” Shell said after trying to read the script.
“They somehow managed to make the Obama presidential library even uglier,” conservative influencer Johnny Maga said bluntly. “My gosh.”
And of course, the bizarre design and nature of the building has spawned several memes online.
“We have been trying to reach you about your car warranty,” the side of the building reads in one meme with phony text.
“If you like your plan, keep your plan. If you like your doctor, you can keep your doctor,” the inscription reads in another meme.
Residents cited issues such as the center’s size, architectural style, and potential effects on local traffic and infrastructure. Some said they hoped the design would better reflect the vibrant character of the surrounding South Shore area and offer more open space and amenities for the community.
The center, long a focus of local and national attention, has faced scrutiny at various stages of planning and development, including debates over public funding, land use and economic impact. It is finally slated to open in June after years of delays.
The foundation has maintained that the center will be a cultural and economic asset, bringing jobs, tourism and educational opportunities to the region. Officials said construction is ongoing and that further refinements to the project will continue as plans evolve.
The building’s stark appearance has often been likened to the “Death Star” or described as a “concrete tomb.” However, an official from the Obama Foundation clarified in December that the design is intended to symbolize unity, rather than evoke the ominous presence of Darth Vader, the New York Post reports.
“The shape of the building was actually meant to mimic four hands coming together to show the importance of our collective action,” Obama Foundation deputy director Kim Patterson told CBS Chicago.
The 225-foot tower features only a handful of windows, a design choice that Patterson pointed out was intentional.
“There are not a lot of windows on the building, but that’s intentional because sunlight is just not a friend to the artwork and the artifacts that are going inside of the building,” she said.
Valerie Jarrett, CEO of the Obama Foundation and a senior adviser during President Obama’s two terms, highlighted that he has played an active role in shaping the design of his library.
“I wish that people could be a fly on the wall to see how many times in the course of the day that I hear from President Obama about ideas for the center, tweaks, programming, what we can do for the design,” Jarrett said.
Trump Completes U.S.
The United States has formally completed its withdrawal from the World Health Organization, the Department of Health and Human Services said Thursday, finalizing a long-standing goal of President Donald Trump.
Trump attempted to leave the organization during his first term and issued formal notice through an executive order on the first day of his second term. Under U.S. law, the country was required to provide one year’s notice and settle outstanding financial obligations before withdrawal could take effect, CNN
The United States still owes the WHO roughly $260 million, though legal experts said the funds are unlikely to be paid and the organization has little ability to compel payment.
“As a matter of law, it is very clear that the United States cannot officially withdraw from WHO unless it pays its outstanding financial obligations,” said Dr. Lawrence Gostin, a global health law expert at Georgetown University. “But WHO has no power to force the U.S. to pay what it owes.”
Gostin said the WHO could attempt to block the withdrawal through a formal resolution but is unlikely to escalate tensions given the administration’s clear intent to leave.
HHS said Thursday that all U.S. government funding to the WHO has been terminated and that all American personnel and contractors assigned to or embedded with the organization have been recalled.
The agency said the United States has also ceased participation in WHO-sponsored committees, leadership bodies, governance structures, and technical working groups.
Administration officials said some limited cooperation could continue. Asked whether the U.S. would participate in an upcoming WHO-led meeting on next year’s influenza vaccine composition, officials said discussions are ongoing.
During a call with reporters, a senior administration official said the United States had not received sufficient value from its involvement with the organization.
“A promise made and a promise kept,” the official said, adding that the WHO “has acted contrary to the U.S. interest in protecting the American public.”
The official also noted that despite being the WHO’s largest financial contributor, the United States has never had an American serve as the organization’s director-general.
HHS cited the WHO’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic as a central reason for the withdrawal.
In a news release, the agency said the organization delayed declaring a global public health emergency and praised China’s response despite what the administration described as early underreporting, information suppression, and delays in confirming human-to-human transmission.
HHS also criticized the WHO for initially downplaying airborne transmission and asymptomatic spread of the virus.
“This action means our country’s health policies can no longer be constrained by unaccountable foreign bureaucrats,” a senior HHS official said.
Despite the withdrawal, administration officials said the United States will continue to play a leading role in global health.
Officials said the U.S. plans to work directly with individual countries, non-governmental organizations, and religious groups on infectious disease surveillance and data sharing.
That effort is expected to be led by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Global Health Center.
“We’ve assessed all of the gaps and the potential gaps,” another senior administration official said. “We have plans in place.”
The administration said additional announcements are expected in the coming months.
Some public health experts warned that replacing WHO coordination with bilateral agreements would create gaps in global surveillance and response.
“It doesn’t allow the same level of partnership and surveillance as working with WHO,” said a former CDC official who requested anonymity.
The official noted the CDC operates in about 60 countries, but said that does not replace the global reach of the WHO.
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Critics said the withdrawal could leave the United States and the world more vulnerable to emerging biological threats.
“The U.S. withdrawal from the World Health Organization is a shortsighted and misguided abandonment of our global health commitments,” said Dr. Ronald Nahass, president of the Infectious Diseases Society of America.
