The Indicator from Planet Money · Friday, July 3, 2026
Students from Hyde Park Academy, located across from the new Obama Presidential Center, have mixed feelings about its impact on their neighborhood. Some students believe the center is a positive development if it benefits the local community, while others worry about increased gentrification and rising costs of living. There's also concern that the school might lose its focus on serving Black students.
“But she did share that the neighborhood around the Obama Center has become too pricey for her and her family, and she wonders how all this would affect her old school.”
“People like students like me, when we be able to attend there.”
“They don't want to continue to cater to black students. If that's the way they want to move.”