It was disappointing to some but surprising to few in Hawaii that President Barack Obama chose a site on Chicago’s South Side, over a waterfront parcel offered in the state of his birth, as the location for his presidential library to be built after he leaves office in 2017.
Chicago is where the president forged connections with the community that would become his political base as he ran for state and federal offices. The University of Chicago, where Obama taught constitutional law, had an advantaged position, and the fact that Chicago also claims the first lady, who surely had influence, bolstered the Windy City’s case even further.
The Obama Foundation, which will head the effort to build the center, dispatched Maya Soetoro-Ng, Obama’s sister and a member of the board, to break the news in a video announcement. The statement, in which the foundation expressed interest in developing a subsidiary "presence" in Hawaii, was complimentary to the University of Hawaii proposal team, calling the Kakaako Makai site presentation "a compelling and high-quality plan" and added that the officials involved "articulated a clear and thoughtful vision."
The state certainly should work with the foundation on developing a presence, and there are facets of the Obama legacy that fit well in Hawaii — education and international relations among them.
But it wasn’t hard to grasp the between-the-lines message that scaling back expectations also would be wise.
"Our foundation team is excited to begin developing joint programs with the University of Hawaii and other local partners," Soetoro-Ng said in the video. "We are just starting the process of building a platform to advance the work of the president and first lady after they leave the White House.
"But I know I speak on behalf of my brother when I say we are so pleased that Hawaii will be a part of it," she added. "And I’m looking forward to working with everyone in Hawaii to bring this project to life."
Nice words, but the phrase "joint programs" doesn’t suggest that the foundation has fundraising for a permanent edifice in mind. And with all its other priorities, the state should now look for ways to realize its piece of a presidential legacy without investing enormous sums of public money in a new property.
Could an appropriate but existing facility house offices for whatever element of the presidential center is developed in Hawaii? Certainly.
For example: The East-West Center, through which Obama’s mother did much of her scholarly work, has both a family nexus and the Pacific-facing perspective that align well with Obama’s internationalist orientation. Even the unfinished wing of the UH Cancer Center near the Kakaako waterfront offers both the space and the ocean frontage that might be appealing. And surely his Punahou School ties provide a basis for a presence on that Makiki campus, to name another possibility.
In any case, there’s much in Obama’s personal history that could provide focus for any new programs. The president was encouraged by his family and his early mentors in Hawaii to pursue education as a route to success, and Hawaii’s multiculturalism has been evident in his policymaking over the past six years.
A costly new complex is no longer in the cards. But it would be wonderful to see the circle completed with initiatives to pass on that flame to other youths, over many generations to come.
