Obama on the Presidential Center: It Can Help Catalyze Economic Development for Communities That Oftentimes Are Left Behind

RUSH EXCERPT:
OBAMA: "Well, look, this is always going to be there’s nobody’s figured out this solution, right? Perfectly, which is, hey, these communities are under invested in and they’re poor and there aren’t enough businesses and opportunities. And then people make investments in their businesses and opportunities. Hey, wait a minute. Rents are going up and the tax base is going up and airbnb rates go up. You. There’s no way to. Make massive investments bring about, you know, a bunch of tourism dollars and, you know, create greater interest and beautify communities and not also see some values rise. That’s part of the purpose of it. The question is always, from our perspective, are we making sure that the people who are already there can get a piece of that rising tide? Can can they access those opportunities? Which is why, you know, in terms of employment at the presidential center, one of our biggest priorities was making sure that folks were able to. Not just apply for jobs, but actually get jobs and get trained for jobs. The young people who were living in those communities, are they going to be able to get internships and fellowships, and we exposing them to the work that’s being done and what opportunities they have. As a consequence, the vendors, you know, the cleaning crews, the, the, the contractors, all those folks. We’ve been very systematic about working with community groups in those communities to and saying to them, this is yours, not just ours. And we want you to be a part of this. And I think there will, over time. Be the kind of community improvement that is not just bringing in people from the outside, but also lifting up folks from the inside. That’s our hope."