CHICAGO — Opening weekend visitors at the Barack Obama Presidential Center called the 44th president's legacy an example of unifying, scandal-free "Black excellence," while they lamented what they view as a dark turn for the U.S.under President Donald Trump."The community is great, we're just kind of glad it's here," Lauren Tillman, who lives about 40 minutes outside of Chicago, told Fox News Digital.
"We needed something like this.Chicago looks like a certain place to certain people who are not from the area...
so I just think this brought everybody together, like, 'oh there's something for the community,' for Black people, and on Juneteenth, so I thought that was great, too."The presidential center's opening weekend began with a star-studded private ceremony and concert on Thursday night, and the 19.3-acre campus opened to the public on Friday during the Juneteenth holiday, which celebrates the day Black slaves were declared free in 1865.TOM HANKS, OPRAH, STEVEN SPIELBERG TURN OBAMA'S PRESIDENTIAL CENTER OPENING INTO HOLLYWOOD'S HOTTEST TICKETThe Obama Presidential Center building is shown with its glass facade and surrounding trees.(Peter D'Abrosca/Fox News Digital)"Just knowing that Chicago doesn't always get the best rep, to know that we've had a Black president come from this place, and then to memorialize his legacy is just great," said Ashley Woods, who joined Tillman at the opening."To know that [Obama] was going to try to do at least something for his people, that meant a lot to me and being here means a lot," added Tillman."And I think, to piggyback off that, I think the legacy is Black excellence," continued Woods.
"Again, growing up in a place like Chicago, you don't really think you can do much besides being a rapper or, you know, going into sports, but so see that somebody actually made it to the top per se, they were able to run the nation, there was very little scandal around him and his family, like it just shows you that we can be more than w...