Former President Barack Obama will receive an award and deliver a speech at the University of Illinois’ Champaign campus next week.
The former president was named the winner of the University of Illinois System’s Douglas Award for Ethics in Government, and will deliver a speech on Sept. 7 at the school.
“Next week, President Obama will offer new thoughts on this moment and what it requires from the American people,” Obama Communications Director Katie Hill said in a statement. “He will expand upon several of the themes from his summer address, including that America is at its best when our democracy is inclusive and our citizens are engaged.”
Illinois, Indiana Politicians Mourn Loss of Sen. John McCain
The speech will also include a rejection of authoritarian politics, according to a press release.
The former president has kept busy since he left office in 2017, delivering speeches all over the world and pushing his Obama Foundation forward with new initiatives and his new presidential library, which is set to open in Chicago within the next few years.
The speech will be livestreamed by the university, and a limited number of tickets will be available to University of Illinois students.
Local
Other recipients of the Douglas Award include the late Senator John McCain, Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, and Representative John Lewis.
