ROYAL WELCOME
Obama, Harry stump for civic duty on 1st day of Foundation Summit
Former President Barack Obama and Prince Harry highlighted a list of speakers Tuesday at the first Obama Foundation Summit, a two- day event in the South Loop bringing together civic leaders from around the world.
The theme of “We the people” permeated most speeches, as the speakers reminded people to remember their power to create change through social media, economic mobility and grass- roots organizing — key facets of Obama’s legacy.
“Ordinary people in local communities can do extraordinary things when given the chance,” Obama said.
Earlier Tuesday, Michelle Obama and Prince Harry visited Hyde Park Academy High School to meet with students. The prince then sat down to discuss his family’s Royal Foundation with business leader Mellody Hobson for the featured event of the summit’s first day.
“Once you realize the effect that your name and your position can have, you have to spend every living day trying to bring people together and trying to make the most of that position,” Prince Harry said.
He went on to talk about how his late mother, Princess Diana, inspires him, and how he, his brother Prince William and sister- in- law Princess Katherine are trying to address the problems they see in the world. Prince Harry’s own call to service came in part because of his military experience, which he called an “incredibly powerful tool” for connecting people, he said.
The two- hour conversation also included the story of Chicagoan David Peterson Jr., who is “in the trenches,” as Hobson said, serving as president and executive director of the National A. Philip Randolph Pullman Porter Museum. Peterson started Museum 44, an after- school program that combines hip- hop and history.
“We could have provocative conversations all the time, but change only happens when we create solutions,” Peterson Jr. said.
Going forward, Prince Harry expressed optimism about the next generation.
“We have to listen to the younger generation because they’re the curer of some of the world’s biggest problems and many communities as well,” he said. “The workforce is already there, all we have to do is create a platform for that because they can do things we could never do. If I was in their position I wouldn’t want someone in a suit or tie, or a prince, telling me how to do things.”