Juneteenth at – On Juneteenth, June 19, 2026, the Obama Presidential Center opened to the public and drew visitors from across the country, including people from Louisiana, Chicago, Washington, D.C., and more. In one photo, Assistant Photo Editor Pat Nabong captured a moving,
When the Obama Presidential Center opened to the public on Juneteenth, the day didn’t feel like a ribbon-cutting. It felt like something living—something people carried in with them as they arrived.
Juneteenth. a federal holiday that commemorates the abolishment of slavery. is rooted in June 19. 1865. when enslaved people in Texas gained freedom after slave owners defied the Emancipation Proclamation signed by President Abraham Lincoln more than two years earlier. One hundred and sixty-one years later. on June 19. 2026. the center welcomed people from Louisiana. Chicago. Washington. D.C. and other parts of the country.
The museum and its grounds drew crowds for the celebration. with architecture that has become iconic—towering over the John Lewis Plaza and rising as a visual symbol that can be read in many ways. The center traces the struggle and accomplishments of Black people through the years. offering a space not only for movers and shakers. but also for the everyday people whose lives shape history. On that day. the surrounding community filled the public space with motion: people dancing on the plaza. visitors touring the garden. and guests taking selfies outside the museum.
One moment caught Assistant Photo Editor Pat Nabong’s attention. She described watching for scenes that could carry the joyous vibe. Then she saw a person standing under the towering building, wearing a colorful outfit that moved with the wind. Unlike the selfie-taking clusters and the steady roaming around the grounds, this person stood almost unmoving for several minutes.
That stillness felt different. Nabong crouched behind her, waiting for her to move so she could capture a profile of her face. When the person finally turned to walk to her friend, the sleeves of her top swayed, creating a more dynamic frame.
The shot carries the center’s larger mood—celebration with depth—without trying to force a single emotion. The architecture stands tall in the background, but the person’s near-still pause draws the eye, as if the day’s noise briefly quieted.
Nabong’s technical choices matched the moment she was trying to hold: she used a Sony A7IV with a 24-70mm lens, shot at 24mm, with a shutter speed of 1/1600, an aperture of F/4.5, and an ISO of 200.
The day itself stretched across more than one kind of scene at the center. Visitors played and gathered in newly opened spaces, including a playground where children were photographed on June 20. At the same location on June 19. former Chicago Bull Will Perdue helped a young girl attempt a free throw during a basketball skills activity inside Home Court at the Obama Presidential Center.
As people moved across the South Side—on the grounds near the museum and beyond. including around Juneteenth celebrations at Promontory Point on June 19—the center’s opening marked a turning point that was both public and personal. Juneteenth arrived not just as a date on the calendar, but as a set of scenes people stepped into together.
Juneteenth Obama Presidential Center Pat Nabong John Lewis Plaza South Side Chicago Black history photography June 19 2026