You Are America

The Obama Presidential Center reached a powerful milestone at the end of 2025 as workers began installing the monumental text that will wrap around the museum tower: a passage from President Barack Obama’s 2015 speech commemorating the 50th anniversary of Bloody Sunday in Selma, Alabama.

The words, cast in five-foot-tall concrete letters, will encircle the upper stories of the tower, transforming the building into a civic beacon.

The installation marks a defining moment in the Center’s construction, embedding the spirit of civic participation directly into its architecture. Designed by Tod Williams Billie Tsien Architects, the tower’s granite-clad façade will allow visitors to look outward through the letters themselves—a literal and symbolic framing of democracy.

Beyond the text, the Center will house more than 20 major art installations, each selected to reflect the Obamas’ commitment to storytelling, justice, and community engagement. Among the most anticipated is Uprising of the Sun, an 83-foot-tall glass mural by Julie Mehretu, composed of 35 painted panels that refract light across the plaza and evoke the Civil Rights Movement and Chicago’s activist history.

Obama’s Words

The text that will wrap around the Obama Presidential Center, known as the “You Are America” passage, reads:

“You are America.Unconstrained by habit and convention. Unencumbered by what is, and ready to seize what ought to be.

Everywhere in this country, there are first steps to be taken, there’s new ground to cover, there are more bridges to be crossed. America is not the project of any one person.

The single most powerful word in our democracy is the word ‘We.’ ‘We The People.’ ‘We Shall Overcome.’ ‘Yes We Can.’ That word is owned by no one. It belongs to everyone.

Oh, what a glorious task we are given, to continually try to improve this great nation of ours.”

Inside, the museum will feature interactive exhibits, archival materials, and rotating collections that highlight grassroots movements, presidential milestones, and the everyday people who shaped them. The Obama Foundation describes the Center as “a place to inspire, empower, and connect,” with art serving as a bridge between history and possibility.

The installation of the “You Are America” quote is more than a design flourish—it’s a declaration that the work of democracy belongs to everyone. As the letters rise above the skyline, they invite all who pass by to see themselves in the story—not just as observers of history, but as authors of its next chapter.

The Obama Presidential Center is scheduled to open in June 2026. The center, located in Jackson Park on Chicago’s South Side, is nearing completion and will feature a museum, public library, gardens, playgrounds, and various art installations.

For more information, please visit www.obamalibrary.gov.

Watch Barack Obama’s address on the 50th Anniversary of the Selma, Alabama March >>