Chicago pastor declares war on Obama's fledgling $830 million library empire project with his own center for opportunity: 'Not victims'
Less than a mile from the enormous $800million-plus Obama Presidential Center rising up over Jackson Park in Chicago's gritty South Side, one local pastor is developing his own $47million hub for change - without a dime from the city's Democrat machine, BLM, or the Obama Foundation.
Reverend Corey Brooks has been building the Leadership and Economic Opportunity Center through his organization, Project HOOD, on the city's notorious 'O Block', long considered one of the most dangerous neighborhoods in the country.
A conservative Republican in a very blue city, Brooks earned the nickname 'Rooftop Pastor' after spending 343 days over 2021-2022 living on the roof of his construction site to raise funds for the new center.
Brooks's mission is to mentor and lift young people out of poverty - but unlike Obama's embattled legacy project - he aims to do so without 'woke' ideology or the belief that success depends on government handouts.
For his latest fundraising effort, the 56-year-old grandfather, who jokes he could lose a few pounds, will set off on a year-long, 3,000 miles 'Walk Across America' starting in New York City's Times Square on September 1, with the hope of raising money and attention for both his project — and his philosophy that people of color do not need to be treated like oppressed victims.
But Brooks's vision for the 84,000-square-foot center across the street from his New Beginnings Church, where he has helped steer troubled youth and gang members away from crime for more than 25 years, has not been embraced by Chicago's political elite.
'It's partly because of my conservative philosophy,' he told Daily Mail. 'I believe in the American dream. I'm a patriot. I tell people we are not victims, and we don't have to wait on government.
'That way of thinking is totally different from the victim-oriented mindset of the Obama Center or BLM — that America has damaged us so badly we can't succeed without white guilt. I reject that outright.'
Reverend Corey Brooks, 56, has been raising money to build his $47million Leadership and Economic Opportunity Center in Chicago's notorious 'O-Block'
Brooks's own community hub will be located less than a mile from the $830million Obama Presidential Center (pictured on August 14) which has been mired in controversy as well as ballooning costs and construction delays
Brooks says he's reached out repeatedly to both the Obama Foundation and Black Lives Matter — 'we've made requests, we've written letters' — but has never heard back from anyone in either organization.
Not that it has ever deterred Brooks, who says he understands why he's shunned by the city's black elite - especially the powerhouse Obama Foundation.
The nonprofit organization is funding the former president's $830million project in Chicago, along with donations from billionaire friends including Oprah Winfrey and George Soros, but has been mired in controversy since its inception.
As Daily Mail revealed this week, the 19-acre facility, due to open in next year, has come under fire from residents, community leaders, and even onetime supporters who now say the massive development is gentrifying the neighborhood, increasing rent, and displacing the very people it was meant to serve.
The center was initially slated to open in 2021, was pushed back to 2024 and is now set to open in April 2026. Workers at the center have blamed policies and lengthy DEI sessions for the delay.
'It's a philosophy difference,' Brooks told the Daily Mail while showing off the three-story construction site.
'They're focusing on outcomes. We're focusing on opportunity.'
Pressed to explain, Brooks was blunt.
Brooks's 84,000-square-foot center will be located across the street from his New Beginnings Church, where he had mentored and guided troubled youth for more than 25 years
The development, however, has not been embraced by Chicago's political elite, which Brooks attributes partly to his 'conservative philosophy'
'They think everything has to be equal,' he said. 'We know things are never equal. But we can create opportunities for people to live the American dream.
'We focus on character content — they focus more on color and being woke. That's not what we do.
'I guarantee you this center will transform more lives than the Obama Center ever could.'
In the meantime, Brooks is taking to the road next month on a trip he knows will be arduous - but necessary, since money from big sponsors or donors don't go to black conservatives like him.
'Millions of dollars went to organizations like Black Lives Matter and the Obama center but organizations like ours, we have to be creative, because we don't depend on government,' Brooks said.
'We're not depending on woke philosophies and white guilt. We have to work hard and roll up our sleeves.'
'I'm walking across America to raise awareness about what's going on here and to raise the funds we need to finish this center debt-free,' he said.
'Also to build a private school for boys from single-parent homes below the poverty line, and to create an endowment so we never have to depend on government.'
He hopes to plant similar Project HOOD centers across the country.
The original launched in 2000 when Brooks and his team found a torn-up skating rink called Route 66 that had been used for skating and raves. They bought the building and renovated it for $5million.
The former president's project, which is being funded by the Obama Foundation and donations from his billionaire friends, is intended to serve the low-income community of Chicago's South Side. Obama and former first lady Michelle are pictured at the groundbreaking ceremony in 2021
Locals have grown increasingly opposed to the development as they fear it will inevitably displace the very people it's meant to support
'Just because you're Black, you don't have to be a victim,' Brooks said. 'You can create opportunities for yourself, your family, your neighborhood.
'You don't have to wait on government or some politician to save the day — because they're not going to.'
Project HOOD already employs more than 150 people, including locals learning trades.
It has a charter school for 15 to 21-year-olds who have been kicked out of Chicago public schools and offers mentoring and counseling, a wellness component and a violence prevention team.
Unlike at the Obama Presidential Center construction site, there is no focus on DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) anywhere at Project HOOD.
'We judge people by their character and work ethic,' he said. 'We're not interested in your gender or your color. Will you work? Will you do it with excellence? That's what matters.'
Brooks says his crusade is personal.
'I don't want another generation to be lost and left behind,' he said. 'I want my grandkids to love America, not hate it.
'I want them judged by the content of their character, not the color of their skin. And I want them to know they can accomplish absolutely anything in this country.'
'We're creating a movement,' he said. 'This is what urban America needs — not another monument.'
