Chicago visit Monday to start Obama's re-entry into public eye (3487 hits)
By Katherine Skiba•Contact Reporter Chicago Tribune
Former President Barack Obama returns to the public stage Monday morning in a homecoming to the University of Chicago, an event that stands to serve as a warmup for a higher profile in the coming weeks.
The 55-year-old Obama has kept a low profile in the three months following his departure from the White House. But he arrived in Chicago on Sunday for his first major visit to the city since he gave his farewell speech at McCormick Place. Monday's event comes as President Donald Trump's administration rolls out its own 100-day narrative, with Saturday marking that milestone since the presidency changed hands.
The 11 a.m. discussion with six Chicago-area students is billed as a "Conversation on Civic Engagement" and will be followed by a handful of national and international events.
Obama is to receive a John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award in Boston on May 7. Then he flies to Milan for the Global Innovation Food Summit. In Italy, he'll be with Sam Kass, a good friend and former personal chef both in Chicago and the White House. On May 25, Obama is slated to appear in Berlin with German Chancellor Angela Merkel. His memoirs are a work in progress too.
