Former President Barack Obama surprised Chicago students with a Santa hat story time as he promoted programming planned for the long-delayed Obama Presidential Center opening next June. (Barack Obama X)
The book recounts how Coleman, for whom the library branch is named, broke barriers to become the first Black female pilot.
Obama shared a video of his visit on X, saying he had a good time.
"I had fun reading to some Burke Elementary students at the Chicago Public Library today," he wrote. "When the Obama Presidential Center opens next year, we’ll have a new branch of the library for the community to enjoy."
FOX 32 in Chicago reported that Obama’s appearance was a sneak peek into the story time programming that will be offered at the library branch coming to the Obama Presidential Center next June.
The center’s opening comes after years of delays and protests and more than a decade of planning.
"We’re going to open in June so that y’all don’t have to bring your coats up," Obama said during a visit to the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Arkansas last week, without revealing a firm opening date, according to the Chicago Sun-Times.
CHICAGO RESIDENTS CALL OBAMA PRESIDENTIAL CENTER A 'MONSTROSITY,' FEAR THEY'LL BE DISPLACED: REPORT
Former President Barack Obama joked with the students as he read to them. (Barack Obama X)
The $850 million project in Jackson Park was first hit with a yearslong lawsuit in 2018 when a group called Protect Our Parks alleged that Chicago illegally transferred parkland to the private Obama Foundation. That court battle persisted until 2022, when a federal judge terminated a revised version of the suit.
The planned construction also sparked federal reviews because the project required an overhaul of roads in the area and because Jackson Park is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Those reviews did not wrap up until late 2020, local media reported at the time.
The Obama Foundation has celebrated the center as "a lively community hub, economic anchor and beacon of democracy right here on the South Side of Chicago."
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A groundbreaking ceremony for the project was not held until 2021, with construction picking up in earnest in the last year.
Fox News Digital’s Emma Colton contributed to this report.
Greg Wehner is a breaking news reporter for Fox News Digital.
Story tips and ideas can be sent to Greg.Wehner@Fox.com and on Twitter @GregWehner.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/obama-surprises-chicago-students-santa-hat-holiday-library-storytime-reading-session