She ended her remarks by stressing the power of hope, which she said “is all we have.”
“Hope is the essential spark that lights the fire of change,” she said. “But hope is a choice, whether or not we use our voices to speak up is a choice.”
Other notable political figures in attendance on Thursday included former Vice President Kamala Harris, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, California Gov. Gavin Newsom, and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, as well as international faces such as former Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi, former Chancellor of Germany Angela Merkel, and former Prime Minister of Canada Justin Trudeau.
The 19.3-acre campus of the Obama center is located on the South Side of Chicago, where the Obamas lived for many years, and features a museum, a community hub, a branch of the Chicago Public Library, recreation spaces, and a handful of outdoor spaces that will be open to the public throughout the year.