Breaking from our usual mold, January 2009’s issue of CS featured a bold cover portrait of the new president.
MICHELLE AND BARACK OBAMA
FIRST LADY. PRESIDENT. HISTORY MAKERS.
Where were you Nov. 4, 2008? I was with my two oldest children and hundreds of thousands of cheering (and teary-eyed) Chicagoans in Grant Park listening to then-President-elect Barack Obama give his acceptance speech with wife Michelle and daughters Sasha and Malia by his side. It was the beginning of eight years of firsts for the Obamas, as together, they did nothing less than change the world. For Chicago, there’s understandable pride to see a daughter of the South Side rise to the White House, and with the designation of Jackson Park as the location of the Barack Obama Presidential Center, their story and our city have come full circle. “As long as I live,” said the former president, “I will never forget that in no other country on earth is my story even possible.” We’d like to think that this city played a small role in their journey; though rumors abound as to where they’ll settle next, we look forward to seeing what they will accomplish in the next phase of their lives—and want them to know they’ll always have a home here.