Black people are still besotted by the former president who has now been out of office since January 2017. Living through a second Donald Trump administration plays a large role in the continued love relationship. 

And what of the Chicago Black community? How will they fare after the Center is completed? A headline in the Chicago Sun-Times tells the story: “As Airbnbs explode around the Obama Center, housing advocates say affordable units are disappearing.” The man still beloved by most Black people is accelerating gentrification. Airbnb short term rentals are declining in the rest of Chicago but increasing in the area near the Center. Through its Community Tourism Prep Sessions the Obama Center is, among other things, helping homeowners become Airbnb operators. “Helping local residents earn extra income by sharing their homes with Obama Presidential Center visitors. Hosted in partnership with Airbnb, this session will give residents the information they need to welcome guests to their home, use the Airbnb platform, and champion their neighborhood.” Higher rents and housing shortages are the inevitable result of Airbnb proliferation. Black people struggling to maintain their properties can keep them if they engage in accelerating the loss of housing stock for the entire community.

He bailed out the banks, but not the victims of the housing bubble. He celebrated Ramadan at the white house but made war on Muslim nations. Perhaps it is just as well that he built a theme park in his honor instead of a real presidential library. At last Barack Obama provides truth in advertising.

Black Agenda Report