Obama surprises Chicago students in Santa hat for holiday library storytime reading session
A group of Chicago elementary school students were met by an unexpected visitor on Tuesday when former President Barack Obama walked in wearing a Santa hat and sat down to...
By Fox News · Fox News
A group of Chicago elementary school students were met by an unexpected visitor on Tuesday when former President Barack Obama walked in wearing a Santa hat and sat down to read to them. The Burke Elementary School students were at the Bessie Coleman branch of the Chicago Public Library , where they were learning about leadership qualities. As the students were learning, Obama walked into the library and asked, "How you guys doing?" After making introductions, Obama began to read "Flying Free: How Bessie Coleman’s Dreams Took Flight." TAXPAYERS ON THE HOOK FOR LAWN CARE, FIXING HINGES AT PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARIES. TRUMP-LED REFORMS AIM TO STOP IT The book recounts how Coleman, for whom the library branch is named, broke barriers to become the first Black female pilot. Obama shared a video of his visit on X, saying he had a good time. "I had fun reading to some Burke Elementary students at the Chicago Public Library today," he wrote. "When the Obama Presidential Center opens next year, we’ll have a new branch of the library for the community to enjoy." FOX 32 in Chicago reported that Obama’s appearance was a sneak peek into the storytime programming that will be offered at the library branch coming to the Obama Presidential Center next June. The center’s opening comes after years of delays and protests and more than a decade of planning. "We’re going to open in June so that y’all don’t have to bring your coats up," Obama said during a visit to the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Arkansas last week, without revealing a firm opening date, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. CHICAGO RESIDENTS CALL OBAMA PRESIDENTIAL CENTER A 'MONSTROSITY,' FEAR THEY'LL BE DISPLACED: REPORT The presidential center’s site on Chicago’s South Side was announced in May 2015. The center, which will include the presidential library , was projected to open in 2021 but has been tied up in lawsuits and federal reviews that have pushed the timeline back years. The center will be home to the…