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 The Old State Capitol Foundation and
the Illinois Department of Natural Resources announced the plan on
the 15th anniversary of Obama’s Feb. 10, 2007, announcement in
Springfield that he would seek the presidency. He went on to make
history as the first African American elected president of the
United States and the fourth Illinoisan elected to the office.
“From his official presidential announcement to his service in the
Statehouse, President Obama’s legacy of leadership began with his
service to the people of Illinois,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “This
marker of Obama’s historic announcement at the Old State Capitol
will ensure his story will forever be a part of Illinois’ history.
And alongside the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum,
this marker brings another presidential monument to Springfield,
fostering tourism from visitors near and far alike.”
Obama, a former Illinois state lawmaker, was a U.S. senator
representing Illinois when he announced his bid for the presidency
from the Old State Capitol with his family. The announcement
attracted statewide, national, and international attention to
Springfield and the Old State Capitol.
“Thousands of people came out on that cold, wintry day 15 years ago
to hear Barack Obama’s historic announcement,” said David Joens,
president of the Old State Capitol Foundation. “He chose to announce
his candidacy at the Old State Capitol because of its historic ties
to Abraham Lincoln, but he was also making history himself. That
history needs to be recognized, and a permanent marker will do
that.”
Valerie Jarrett, chief executive officer of the Obama Foundation
said Feb. 10, 2007, was an unforgettable day.
“I will never forget watching 17,000
people come together in Springfield to watch then-Senator Obama
announce his candidacy for president. That day and the campaign that
followed was a testament to the power of ordinary people to
accomplish extraordinary things, an idea and legacy that we’re
carrying forward through the work of the Obama Foundation,” Jarrett
said. “I am thrilled that the Old State Capitol Foundation and the
Illinois Department of Natural Resources will help preserve the
significance of that history for future generations with this
marker.”
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Eighteen months later, on Aug. 23, 2008, Obama returned to the
Old State Capitol for another major announcement – that U.S. Senator Joe Biden
of Delaware would be his running mate. Again, Springfield and the Old State
Capitol became the focus of international attention.
Obama was elected the nation’s 44th president on Nov. 4, 2008, and Biden became
vice president. Both served two terms, and Biden went on to be elected president
in his own right in 2020.
“President Obama chose Springfield to launch his campaign, in part because of
its proud history as the place where President Lincoln began his presidential
campaign, but also because it’s where folks from diverse walks of life and
perspectives come to be heard,” said Anita Decker Breckenridge, who is President
Obama’s current chief of staff, served as the downstate director of his Senate
office and helped organize the 2007 announcement. “His campaign was organized
around listening to folks and bringing them together to find solutions, and that
has continued to be his focus in his post-presidency.
Artists’ renderings of the historical marker have been completed. The marker
will be placed on the Old State Capitol lawn in a public ceremony later this
year.
“Barack Obama’s historic announcements from the Old State Capitol were
significant events in Illinois history, and it’s entirely appropriate that we
pause today to reflect on their importance during Black History Month,” said
Colleen Callahan, director of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources.
Funding and design of the historical marker is the result of a partnership among
the Old State Capitol, the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, the
Illinois State Historical Society, and the Obama Presidential Library.
[Illinois Office of Communication and
Information]
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