Speaker 1: Bloomberg Audio Studios, podcasts, radio news. The former President Barack
Speaker 1: Obama is opening his Presidential Center. The official opening coming
Speaker 1: to mar excuse me on the eighteenth, with the public
Speaker 1: allowed to start accessing it. On June nineteenth, we had
Speaker 1: a chance to catch up with Valerie Jarrett, the longtime
Speaker 1: advisor to the President who is now the CEO of
Speaker 1: the Obama Foundation. We asked her about the legacy of
Speaker 1: the forty fourth president of the United States and what
Speaker 1: this means for the city of Chicago.
Speaker 2: We are very excited to open the Obama Presidential Center
Speaker 2: this week.
Speaker 3: I think that it is very timely on the two.
Speaker 2: Hundred and fiftieth anniversary of the birth of our country,
Speaker 2: and in fact, our museum begins on the ground floor,
Speaker 2: not with the election of President Obama, but rather with
Speaker 2: the declaration of Independence, and it tells the story of all
Speaker 2: the zigzags of our country, from the suffrage movement to
Speaker 2: civil rights, going back to slavery, then reconstruction, the immigration
Speaker 2: rights movement, the LGBTQ rights movement, all of the different
Speaker 2: movements in our country and zigs and zags and progress
Speaker 2: that we took led to the President's election and then
Speaker 2: the story of his presidency, and so the timing is
Speaker 2: just right.
Speaker 1: The timing is right. It's also somewhat auspicious. We talk
Speaker 1: about that arc of our country from the signing of
Speaker 1: the Declaration of Independence two hundred and fifty years ago,
Speaker 1: of course, to that night back in two thousand and eight,
Speaker 1: with Obama just a few miles away in Grant Park
Speaker 1: giving that victory speech. There was Some will say that
Speaker 1: that arc of history in eight and the eight years
Speaker 1: that came after it might have been our peak.
Speaker 2: How do you answer that, Oh, quite the contrary. We
Speaker 2: are always a work in progress, and in fact, the
Speaker 2: outside of the business of the building says that we
Speaker 2: are all responsible for that glorious, glorious task of continuing
Speaker 2: to improve our nation. In the middle of our plaza,
Speaker 2: we have an arc designed by Martin Purier, the ark
Speaker 2: of the moral universe.
Speaker 3: That does bend towards justice.
Speaker 2: But it's a long arc of the universe, and it
Speaker 2: bends over time as we each push incrementally, and it's
Speaker 2: sometimes zigs and zags, but it does bend. And so
Speaker 2: now we haven't peaked, We're just beginning. Compared to most democracies,
Speaker 2: we're still a baby.
Speaker 4: Well, absolutely here what you're saying, of course, that you
Speaker 4: think about the arc of time and progress, it certainly
Speaker 4: isn't linear here. But I do want to talk a
Speaker 4: little bit more about this moment that remain brought up
Speaker 4: because you know, you think about how it's been thirteen
Speaker 4: years since we saw the last presidential Library dedication. What
Speaker 4: a thirteen years that has been. And now, of course
Speaker 4: this opening is happening at a time when you think
Speaker 4: about some of the policies that President Obama really made
Speaker 4: his landmark and are really known for, have been sort
Speaker 4: of dismantled over the past several years. And I wonder,
Speaker 4: you know what this moment feels like right now.
Speaker 2: Well, I'm very excited because our opportunity now is to
Speaker 2: instill in people a sense of hope that ordinary people
Speaker 2: can still do extraordinary things. And so the status quo
Speaker 2: is not going to be permanent. It never has been
Speaker 2: in our nation's history. And so the question is are
Speaker 2: people ready to take up the baton and run the
Speaker 2: next mile?
Speaker 3: And that's how our.
Speaker 2: Country has always made progress. And I talk about the
Speaker 2: zigzo and zags because that's been the history of this country.
Speaker 2: And so in this moment, we want people to still
Speaker 2: feel hopeful. We want them to feel that they have
Speaker 2: the capacity to make the world a better place, that
Speaker 2: we have more in common than we have differences, that
Speaker 2: we welcome people to the campus who have different ideas
Speaker 2: than we do, and let's have a debate without being disagreeable.
Speaker 2: Let's all work to actually strengthen our democracy. That's our
Speaker 2: message and that's what we think people will feel, this
Speaker 2: sense of hopefulness when they leave the campus and come
Speaker 2: back time and time again.
Speaker 4: Well, Valerie, you mentioned different ideas, and I do want
Speaker 4: to bring up President Donald Trump directly here because my
Speaker 4: understanding is that this opening, it will be the first
Speaker 4: time that a sitting president won't be at the center
Speaker 4: stage in a modern presidential library and museum opening. And
Speaker 4: you have said publicly that President Trump has not been
Speaker 4: invited to the opening ceremony that is this week, but
Speaker 4: that you would welcome him for a tour. So I
Speaker 4: am curious. Is that an invitation that you have extended
Speaker 4: at this point and have you gotten a response.
Speaker 2: It's an open invitation and we have not yet heard
Speaker 2: a response. And look, keep in mind, this is a
Speaker 2: celebration for all of the votes who enabled President Obama
Speaker 2: to serve our country for all eight years successfully. We
Speaker 2: have the construction workers who worked on this campus, and
Speaker 2: we have an alumni who worked on the campaign in
Speaker 2: any administration. We have our generous supporters coming. We have
Speaker 2: state and local and federal elected officials who all in
Speaker 2: supportive of President Obama.
Speaker 3: So this is a celebration for them.
Speaker 2: But when we're open to the public, well, then of
Speaker 2: course everyone is welcome.
Speaker 1: A velder, I do want to talk about the physical
Speaker 1: structure itself. We've talked about the thirteen presidential libraries that
Speaker 1: had opened officially. We should point out that this particular
Speaker 1: one is actually not the official library. Most of those
Speaker 1: records are going to be at a site in Maryland.
Speaker 1: Was there a reason why the Council made this decision
Speaker 1: to kind of circumvent or at least not to go
Speaker 1: through the National Archives in the traditional sense of having
Speaker 1: an actual library and making this more of a quote
Speaker 1: presidential center or museum or however we want to characterize it.
Speaker 2: Yeah, So President Obama is the first digital president. We
Speaker 2: have the ability to digitize all of his presidential records,
Speaker 2: which we are paying for, and the National Archives is
Speaker 2: doing that, and so all of his records, all of
Speaker 2: them will.
Speaker 3: Be available online.
Speaker 2: In addition to that, for people who still like to
Speaker 2: feel a piece of paper, they'll be able to go
Speaker 2: to the archive led Obama Presidential Library that houses all
Speaker 2: those papers and see them. But when they come here instead,
Speaker 2: they can experience the Chicago Public Library for our children.
Speaker 3: Why would we take.
Speaker 2: Up space on our campus in the middle of this
Speaker 2: incredible city with paper when it could be digitized. And so, yes,
Speaker 2: it's different than all the other presidential vibrates the time
Speaker 2: that we're in. So in a sense, we have the
Speaker 2: best of both worlds. You can go online and access
Speaker 2: all of the president's records. We have borrowed from the
Speaker 2: National Archives certain artifacts and records, and then the rest
Speaker 2: of the records will be available.
Speaker 3: In Maryland.
Speaker 2: And so it's the nature of where we are, I think,
Speaker 2: with the availability of technology, and we were able to
Speaker 2: design a broader campus that has an athletics center, the
Speaker 2: public library mentioned not a tour music studios, restaurants, retail stores,
Speaker 2: all blending into.
Speaker 3: The urban fabric.
Speaker 2: And it's the first presidential center that's located in an
Speaker 2: urban area.
Speaker 1: I grew up in Hyde Park right on forty ninth
Speaker 1: And you know, I'm very familiar with what Jackson Park
Speaker 1: is and what it used to be before this came
Speaker 1: into place. I used to, you know, every day, leave
Speaker 1: Saint Thomas and we run over to the Point and
Speaker 1: hang out there. This is also altered physically the Frederick
Speaker 1: Law Olmsted map of what Jackson Park was, And I
Speaker 1: know there was some controversy in that, And I am
Speaker 1: curious as to what you think the overall net benefit
Speaker 1: will be of this larger footprint of the reimagining of
Speaker 1: Jackson Park. Overall, is that going to benefit the community,
Speaker 1: the surrounding community, or is that solely for the benefit
Speaker 1: of the Obama Foundation.
Speaker 3: Great question. And I grew up here too.
Speaker 2: I grew up on forty ninth Street and rode my
Speaker 2: bike through Jackson Park and hung out over at the point.
Speaker 2: So you and I had a very similar experience, and
Speaker 2: this is a net benefit. We got rid of Cornell Drive,
Speaker 2: which you will remember was that sixth lane highway that
Speaker 2: separated Jackson Park from the Museum of Science and Industry.
Speaker 2: And so with all of our buildings, we have added
Speaker 2: three point seven acres of open space. There's far more
Speaker 2: open space on the site. Now than there was before,
Speaker 2: and we have world class playgrounds and the athletics center
Speaker 2: and the library, and walking trails and a vegetable garden
Speaker 2: and picnic tables and barbecue bits and so yes, if
Speaker 2: you ask the surrounding community, as we did a few
Speaker 2: weeks ago at our public hearing, is the community thrilled
Speaker 2: by what we have produced?
Speaker 3: Absolutely? Absolutely, we have enhanced this home design park.
Speaker 2: We've stored the women's garden on the north side of
Speaker 2: the property. We've built another park across the street, owned
Speaker 2: and managed now by the Chicago Park District that is
Speaker 2: the most accessible park in the city of Chicago.
Speaker 3: When you add all of that together.
Speaker 2: Absolutely, I would much rather be a young person today
Speaker 2: riding my bike through the Obama Presidential Center than the
Speaker 2: experience I had at Jackson Park.
Speaker 4: Many of your well, Valerie, you mentioned all the different features
Speaker 4: that will be on this campus, the vegetable garden. There's
Speaker 4: also an NBA regulation basketball court. As I understand, I mean,
Speaker 4: at this point, I'm curious what was left sort of
Speaker 4: on the cutting room floor, because it sounds like, again
Speaker 4: that we're talking about quite an expansive campus. What didn't
Speaker 4: actually make it in to the final here.
Speaker 3: Well, we are still a work in progress.
Speaker 2: We are going to have more books in the library,
Speaker 2: both the Presidential Reading Room and the.
Speaker 3: Chicago Public Library. We're going to have more art. We
Speaker 3: haven't talked about the art yet.
Speaker 2: We have twenty eight original commission pieces of art, twenty
Speaker 2: six of which will be in the public space free spaces.
Speaker 2: So we are an art exhibit as well, which reflects
Speaker 2: the rich diversity of talent that we have and the
Speaker 2: artists done amazing pieces of art, and.
Speaker 3: So we're going to add to that. We have room
Speaker 3: for a.
Speaker 2: Special exhibit that will be located inside of the museum
Speaker 2: that's yet to come, so we're just getting started. We
Speaker 2: have programs that have been yet to be developed that
Speaker 2: will be on our campus. We have a terrific weekend
Speaker 2: coming up with programming and lectures and music and dance
Speaker 2: and balloons and bubble for the kids. It's going to
Speaker 2: be a great time and we just have to duplicate
Speaker 2: that throughout the year.
Speaker 1: I do have to ask you, Valerie, just about the
Speaker 1: political climate and the security measures that may need to
Speaker 1: be in place. Obviously, Obama's legacy has been criticized by
Speaker 1: a lot of folks for let's just say a variety
Speaker 1: of reasons. There have been a lot of threats directed
Speaker 1: towards his family, towards his legacy, and some questions as
Speaker 1: to whether such an expansive monument to his presidency might
Speaker 1: become a target for those who may be weren't necessarily
Speaker 1: happy with what he brought to this country. How do
Speaker 1: you assure that not only the people coming to visit
Speaker 1: there are going to be safe, but everything that you've
Speaker 1: built will remain intact as intended.
Speaker 2: Well, I want to just say, this is not a
Speaker 2: monument to President Obama. It's really a testament to all
Speaker 2: of the people who work so hard to create the
Speaker 2: legacy that he's had so far, and who are going
Speaker 2: to be a part the legacy going forward, reflected.
Speaker 3: In all these change makers who were going to help.
Speaker 2: Our first objective is to ensure everyone is say that
Speaker 2: is our first priority, and you can imagine that we're
Speaker 2: going to do everything that we can to make sure
Speaker 2: that we do keep.
Speaker 1: People And last question, valor, just so we don't end
Speaker 1: on a down note like that. I am curious. I've
Speaker 1: gotten a look at a lot of the exhibits in there,
Speaker 1: and I am curious you were basically Obama's longest serving advisor,
Speaker 1: continuous serving advisor. I am curious from your time over
Speaker 1: those eight years in the White House specifically, what is
Speaker 1: kind of that one moment that really stands out that
Speaker 1: I guess you look back on and makes you feel
Speaker 1: like those eight years for you was worth it.
Speaker 3: I'll give you one.
Speaker 2: It was the night that the Affordable Care Act passed
Speaker 2: and President Obama asked everyone who had worked on it
Speaker 2: to come back to the White House and eat together
Speaker 2: from the vote, and we gathered in the Roosevelt Room,
Speaker 2: and then he invited everybody up to the residence and
Speaker 2: spilling out on the Truman balcony. And at the end
Speaker 2: of the evening, in the wee hours, I walked up
Speaker 2: to President Obama and it was a really warm spring evening,
Speaker 2: and I asked him how he felt that night compared
Speaker 2: to Grant Park, which the night of his election, where
Speaker 2: again unseasonably warm, and a million people were gathering together
Speaker 2: in Grant Park so enthusiastic about his presidency. And he
Speaker 2: said to me, Valerie, there's no comparison. Election night was
Speaker 2: simply the means to get to this night where we
Speaker 2: could do something so profoundly meaningful, The American people