Just hours before the inauguration of President-Elect Donald Trump, Barack and Michelle Obama announced in a video some of their post-White House plans, which include launching the Obama Foundation on Chicago's South Side.
In the video, Obama called the foundation a “startup for citizenship” that will be based on the South Side but it will "have projects all over the city, the country and the world."
“More than a library or museum, it will be a living, working center for citizenship,” Obama continued in the video. “That's why we want to hear from you. Tell us what you want this project to be. And tell us what's on your mind."
The Obama Foundation, which has been previously announced, will oversee the design and construction of the Obama Presidential Center. It's led by Chairman Marty Nesbitt and Executive Director Robbin Cohen, and recently hired longtime Obama aide David Simas its CEO.
"Tell us about the young leaders and companies and organizations that inspire you," Mrs. Obama says in the video. "This will be your presidential center just as much as it is ours."
The foundation's website says it will "focus on developing the next generation of citizens — and what it means to be a good citizen in the 21st century. It will draw strength from the rich diversity and vitality of Chicago, where the President and First Lady met and raised their daughters, and it will have nonprofit programs across the city, the United States, and the world."
Much as the Obama for America campaign brought politically-minded and tech-savvy folks to Chicago, the Obama Foundation appears poised to do the same.
