Former President Barack Hussein Obama and his wife Michelle welcomed a long list of Hollywood celebrities, former president, and world leaders for the grand opening of the Obama Presidential Center in Chicago, even as the Center has been engulfed in controversy for allegedly stiffing many black-owned building contractors for their construction fees.
The grand opening for Obama’s controversial and imposing Center in Chicago was a star-studded affair on Thursday, featuring performances from Bruce Springsteen, Stevie Wonder, Jennifer Hudson, The Roots, U2’s Bono and The Edge, and many more, Breitbart News reported.
The Obama Foundation also previously announced the entertainment lineup on Tuesday, with the grand opening set for Juneteenth in John Lewis Plaza following years of construction cost overruns and delays. Others on the lineup include, Christina Aguilera, Eddie Vedder, John Legend, Marc Anthony, Tems, Common, and Marsai Martin.
“This Grand Opening ceremony will be unlike any other — filled with music, performances, and hope,” said Valerie Jarrett, CEO of The Obama Foundation. “The Grand Opening Ceremony will reflect a spirit of inspiration and joy, with a big boost from the performers who are sharing their talent with us. We hope to inspire people everywhere to believe in their power to bring change home.”
Barack, a Chicago implant, lauded the city’s South Side, and in a press release said, “Our story begins on the South Side of Chicago. For me, it was here where hope took root. It’s where I started knocking on doors, where I learned to listen and found my voice, where I fell in love with Michelle and built a family and a community and a home,” Barack Obama shared in a voiceover. “Today, we open the doors to the Obama Presidential Center, a place rooted in this community and built on a simple belief that we can come together and create the change we seek,” The Wrap wrote.
Also in attendance during the June 16 pre-opening event were former Presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Joe Biden. Former Canadian PM Justin Trudeau and ex-Vice President Kamala Harris were also on hand.
But even as Obama waxed poetic about Chicago’s South Side and celebrated “democracy,” his Obama Presidential Center has already become mired in controversy even before opening after a growing number of contractors — many of whom are black-owned businesses — are saying that the Center has not paid them for their construction work.
Construction companies are now reporting that the Center owes them amounts ranging from the tens of thousands to multiple millions in unpaid construction fees. And in the case of many of the black-owned businesses, they face bankruptcy if they don’t get paid soon, Fox News reported.
Adamson Plumbing owner Mike Owen, for instance, says he is owed $4 million by the Obama Center and it is a hole in his budget he might not be able to survive.
African American Contractors Association President Omar Shareef blasted the Obama Center and noted that many of the black-owned businesses Obama has stiffed are “scared to death about talking about it” because they fear a backlash for criticizing Obama.
“I’ve never seen this happen since I’ve been in business,” Shareef added. “The building does look nice, but the fact doesn’t matter that they’re not paying our damn contractors.”
“The promise was that this project was going to uplift minority contractors and uplift the community,” Shareef continued. “What sense is celebrating Juneteenth if our Black contractors are not getting their money?”
Shareef also said that many of these black-owned businesses are wishing they had never become involved with the Obama Center.
The situation is compounded by the fact that the Obama Foundation never funded the $470 million backup fund they agreed to bankroll in case costs ran over the Center’s budget. So far, the Foundation has put a mere $1 million in the fund, an amount that doesn’t come anywhere near covering the cost overruns and unpaid construction fees.
The $470 backup fund was supposed to be the guarantee that Chicago and Illinois taxpayers would not be on the hook to pay for the overruns. But now that is looking like taxpayers might be stuck with the bills despite the agreement the Obama Foundation signed with state and local officials.
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