Former Obama adviser Valerie Jarrett kicked off the groundbreaking ceremony for the Obama Presidential Center on Thursday with a land acknowledgment, citing the Native American tribes historically rooted to the site.
Jarrett told attendees that organizers wished to “take a moment to recognize the original inhabitants of the land upon which we are gathered today,” listing the Native American tribes historically connected to the site.
“We honor the Anishinaabe, the Council of Three Fires, the Ojibwe, the Odawa, and the Potawatomi Nations,” Jarrett said.
Land acknowledgments have fast become standard practice across universities, government offices, and cultural events. Yet the custom increasingly faces sharp pushback, even from within Native communities. Indigenous scholars and activists frequently dismiss the statements as empty “performative” gestures that offer public relations points for diversity while providing zero tangible benefits or real land back to tribal nations.
After weathering years of lawsuits and local pushback regarding its Jackson Park footprint, the Obama Presidential Center has locked in its debut. A free, three-day community festival from June 19–21 will officially open the doors. The finished complex will serve as a museum, community center, and historical archive dedicated to former President Barack Obama’s two terms in the White House.
