The couple was moved by a tribute to a very important person in their lives

Michelle and Barack Obama had an emotional moment at the Opening of the Obama Presidential Center. Michelle Obama honored a very important person in her family’s life, surprising her husband and leaving him in tears. When Michelle began speaking about the tribute, her voice broke, resulting in an emotional moment for the couple.

Michelle walked onstage wearing a skirt with her mother’s face printed on it. The outfit took Barack Obama by surprise, who had to hold back tears. The outfit was a custom Acne Studios look, and was completed with a simple black shirt and a black belt. The dress featured a portrait of Marian Robinson as a young woman.

“I am so proud of my husband,” said Michelle. “He’s really messed up, I’m giving him some time, because this beautiful skirt that my stylist Meredith Koop picked out, that is a portrait, my favorite portrait of my mom, he didn’t know it existed until just a few minutes ago,” she added.

Michelle has shared that photo of her mother in the past, revealing just why she loves the portrait so much. “Whenever I see this picture, and the look in my mother’s eyes, I wonder if she has any idea what’s coming in the decades ahead: Real love and real loss, children and grandchildren who’d keep her on her toes, a wild ride to places she’d only read about or seen on television,” wrote Michelle on a birthday tribute for her mother shared in 2019.

At the event, hosted in Chicago, Michelle shared that she’d been planning to surprise her husband with the skirt for some time now. “I’ve had a few weeks to settle down in the beauty of this skirt, but it’s messing him up for good reason,” said Michelle. “But Marian would have been so proud.”

Marian died two years ago, at the age of 86. She played a key role in the lives of the Obamas, with her becoming a large presence in her granddaughters’ lives. Michelle shared that she was one of Barack’s biggest supporters and would have been so proud of him if she’d attended the event.

“She was so proud of her son-in-law, and the man that he is, and has been to our family, always dreaming, probably way too big, but always pulling it off,” Michelle said. “Thank you for doing this for the South Side of Chicago. I love you.”

More details about the Obama Presidential Center

The Obama Presidential Center opened this week, made up of a large building in Jackson Park, Chicago, that contains a museum, a playground, a public library, gardens, and indoor basketball courts.

Tomorrow, the opening will be celebrated with a concert that includes performances from Bruce Springsteen, The Roots, Christina Aguilera, Marc Anthony, Stevie Wonder, Jennifer Hudson, and more.

Obama Presidential Center opens Thursday: Here’s what to know

The Obama Presidential Center is about to open it’s doors.

The nearly 20-acre campus located in the city’s Jackson Park neighborhood, will celebrate it’s opening with a star-studded ceremony on Thursday. It will then open to the public on Friday, June 17.

The center features art installations, a new library, a basketball court and a picnic area with grills. The roughly $850 million project covers the political and personal realms the Obama family.

Who’s performing at the Obama Presidential Center’s grand opening?
Thursday’s event is scheduled to start at 11 a.m. Thursday and feature The Roots, Bruce Springsteen, Christina Aguilera, Common, Eddie Vedder, Jennifer Hudson, John Legend, Stevie Wonder, Marc Anthony, Tems, U2’s Bono and The Edge and Marsai Martin.

WGN News plans to carry the ceremony live on air and online. You can also stream the event on the Obama Foundation’s website.

What streets are closed around the Obama Center?
Several street closures and parking restrictions are in place around the area of 6001 South Stony Island Avenue. The city is advising residents and visitors to be aware of street closures, additional crowds, increased traffic and to plan accordingly.

The following restrictions are in place through Friday, June 19 at 7 p.m.

• Midway Plaisance, from Dorchester to Stony Island EB and WB
• Blackstone, from 59th to Midway Plaisance
• Cornell, from Stony Island to 57th
• Stony Island, from Midway Plaisance to 63rd
• Stony Island, from 59th to 57th St.
• 59th EB, from Harper to Stony Island.

The following restrictions are in place through Saturday at noon.

• Midway Plaisance, from Woodlawn to Blackstone.
• Dorchester, from 59th to 60th

How to visit?
While Thursday’s opening is invite-only, the public can see the center for themselves starting Friday. Tickets for Friday’s time entries are sold out. Tickets remain available for select days and times thorough November 30. General admission tickets are $30 More information at https://obama.org/visit/tours/