Obama ‘coming home’ for farewell speech tonight

President Obama will make the last speech of his presidency a call to action in his hometown of Chicago tonight, followed by a “family reunion” for alumni of his former campaigns, according to a save-thedate sent to the campaigners.

Obama has described the event as “a chance to say thank you for this amazing journey,” to celebrate the ways the country has changed and “to offer some thoughts on where we all go from here.”

“It’s a passing of the baton,” White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki said.

The speech is set for 8 p.m. at McCormick Place, a lakefront convention center. Planning began last summer, when Obama, Psaki and other top advisers were mapping out the final months of his eight years in office. She said when Obama was told that previous presidents had delivered farewell remarks, he asked aides if the speech had to be delivered from Washington.

“Chicago was a natural place for him, not just because it’s his hometown,” Psaki said, “but because it’s where he got his political start, and it’s where he really first learned the lesson … that it’s about the actions of individuals and the actions of people, that’s how real change happens.”

Senior adviser Valerie Jarrett said, “It’s not a victory-lap speech.”

She added, “His intention is to motivate people to want to get involved and fight for their democracy. The major focus on the speech isn’t going to be reflecting back on how far we’ve come over the last eight years, but really looking forward and how we take the accomplishments, many (of which) through the hard work and grit of the American people came to fruition, and build on that going forward.”

For many supporters, Obama’s decision to give the speech in Chicago rather than Washington added to the significance of the event. It was in Chicago’s Grant Park in 2008 that he delivered his victory speech after becoming the nation’s first black president.

“He’s coming home,” said Cheryl Bellamy-Bonner, 56, who volunteered on Obama’s 2004 U.S. Senate campaign. “It shows he really cares about the people.”

Tonight, she said, she’s hoping to hear what Obama will do next and “what we can do to help.”

Thousands of people waited for hours in singledigit temperatures on Saturday to try to get tickets. Organizers didn’t say how many tickets were available, but many people walked away empty-handed on Saturday.

The White House says the farewell address also will be streamed live online.