Barack Obama's legacy includes many things, but one significant component is his eagerness and ability to bring people together. Now, that spirit is being honored in the state he once served, Illinois, according to the Chicago Tribune.
Back in 2016, the former president gave an impassioned speech to lawmakers in Illinois, encouraging them to drop partisan differences and come together to eliminate the longest budget impasse in Illinois history. The stalemate ended last summer after lawmakers overrode Governor Bruce Rauner's veto, passing a budget and raising income taxes.
The speech was officially commemorated into a plaque, featuring Obama quotes and his signature, which was unveiled this week.
There’s a new plaque hanging in the House chamber by the podium, commemorating Barack Obama’s speech here in 2016. pic.twitter.com/Cc0CaDI1bD— Monique Garcia (@moniquegarcia) February 13, 2018
"Our founders trusted us with the keys to this system of self-government," reads the plaque. "Our politics is the place where we try to make this incredible machinery work, where we come together to settle our differences and solve big problems, do big things together that we could not possibly do alone."
The plaque itself is a hit with state lawmakers, who lined up to take selfies with it. Obama's legacy lives on!
