Obama has some explaining to do.
The Obama Presidential Center in Chicago, a project intended to celebrate the legacy of former President Barack Obama, has been marred by significant delays, cost overruns, and legal disputes. Initially budgeted at $350 million, the costs have more than doubled to $830 million as of 2021, with no updated figures available. The Obama Foundation has touted diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) as a key part of the project’s goals, with specific requirements for minority-owned businesses (MBEs) to be included in its construction. However, despite these ambitious goals, the project has encountered serious complications.
One of the most high-profile issues involves a lawsuit filed by Robert McGee, the African American co-owner of II in One Construction. McGee’s company, which specializes in concrete and rebar services, alleges that it was racially discriminated against by the structural engineering firm Thornton Tomasetti. II in One was part of a joint venture aimed at fulfilling the project’s DEI goals, but McGee claims that Thornton Tomasetti imposed unreasonable standards on his company, causing significant cost overruns and threatening the financial stability of his business.
The lawsuit claims that the design changes forced by Thornton Tomasetti resulted in additional costs exceeding $40 million, which II in One could not absorb. McGee alleges that the engineering firm’s memo, which criticized his company’s performance and blamed it for project delays, contained false and defamatory statements. McGee also argues that these actions undermined the project’s diversity and inclusion efforts, particularly given the Obama Foundation’s commitment to ensuring minority businesses had a prominent role in the project’s success.
While the Obama Foundation distanced itself from the lawsuit, stating it was not directly involved in the dispute, the legal battle has brought attention to the challenges faced by minority-owned businesses trying to succeed in large-scale public projects. Critics argue that despite the Obama Foundation’s commitment to DEI, this situation highlights the difficulties such initiatives can face when they intersect with the realities of construction and project management.
As the project continues, questions remain about the actual costs and whether the promises of diversity and inclusion can be fully realized. The Obama Presidential Center, which will include a museum, a library, and several other amenities, is slated to open in 2026. However, with mounting controversies, it’s unclear whether the project will be able to recover its reputation or meet its original goals. The situation continues to evolve, and it will be interesting to see how it affects both the future of DEI initiatives in construction and the legacy of the Obama Foundation’s flagship project.