I had fun reading to some Burke Elementary students at the Chicago Public Library today. When the Obama Presidential Center opens next year, we’ll have a new branch of the library for the community to enjoy.

We miss you.

What a great resource. We miss presidents who care about the community.

There is something quietly radical about this video that is easy to miss if you only see it in passing. A former president is not on a stage, not at a fundraiser, not in a green room. He is in a public library, reading a story about a young Black girl who wants to fly to a room full of kids who may never have thought of themselves in a cockpit or a control tower before. That is not just nostalgia. It is the work of democracy, one classroom rug at a time, teaching the next generation that the world is bigger than their zip code and that they have standing in it. And when he mentions the new library branch at the Obama Presidential Center, he is talking about permanence. Politics comes and goes. A neighborhood library with free Wi-Fi, homework tables, and shelves full of stories is infrastructure for civic life. You measure its success in the kid who discovers she loves science at a Saturday program or the teenager who fills out his first college application on a library computer. If we are serious about equal opportunity, this is what it looks like: presidents who remember the school names, investments that stay after the motorcade leaves, and communities that get not just speeches about hope but actual buildings full of it.

Presidents leave office, but real leaders don’t stop showing up for communities. Love to see it.

This moment makes me think public libraries are often undervalued, yet they’re central to community identity. The Obama Center branch will embody that perfectly.

True story.

If presidents were allowed to serve until they showed signs of incompetence, unpatriotic behavior, or disregard for the welfare of the people, President Obama would not now be a former president. He's simply the best!! 👌 👍🏿 ❤️💙

Let’s end the rumors, is Mike a dude?

Charisma and likability is unmatched

There’s something truly special about leaders who return to the community not just with words, but with presence. Reading to children, inspiring young minds, and creating spaces like the upcoming library branch at the Obama Presidential Center — this is how you shape futures. Small moments today become lifelong memories for these kids tomorrow. Beautiful to see education, hope, and community come together like this. 📚

👎👎🗑️

I don’t get the soulless nature of those who watch someone reading to children bringing joy and they just have something hateful to say. I’m not talking the snide remarks; I mean the deeply spiteful ones. It’s joyless.

Santa Obama! Coming to @netflix soon!

We miss you Obama ⭐💯 💪

This center??

You stole elections and you stole the $

Remember this?

we miss this president

Kids + books + you = future looking bright

You’re a beautiful man. Why didn’t you make a beautiful library?

Did you tell them that some of the construction workers building your library were here illegally, taking jobs away from some of their family members.... Or maybe you told the kids that your administration spied on Trump

Behold, Barack-Dur!

Books share stories

You’re so corrupt

Great that you find time to meet ordinary people and read to them — big respect! And Chicago appreciated it.

TRUMP is the GOAT!

This is how you build a legacy—not with monuments, but with moments like these.

True

Nothing beats seeing young minds light up with stories. Excited for the new chapter the Obama Presidential Center will bring more spaces for curiosity, learning, and community.

You are genuine and actively engaging with them. Beautiful! There's a big difference-

Opening a #library ? Getting kids to read? Few things more important and few people are better at it than @BarackObama