Snapshot · The Indicator from Planet Money
When directly asked at a community meeting in 2017, Obama declined to commit the Obama Foundation to a community benefits agreement on housing, saying he knew what was best for the community.
Where this was said
At 26:10 · chapter starts 25:40
Myra Kwadja explains what a community benefits agreement is — essentially a negotiated package of legal commitments around housing, jobs, or environmental protections — and then describes the moment the CBA campaign crystallized in public memory. At a 2017 community meeting, Obama was directly asked whether the Obama Foundation would commit to a housing-focused CBA. [1] — Myra Kwadja "In 2017, Obama was directly asked whether the Obama Foundation would sign a community benefits agreement to protect housing. He declined, s…" 25:40 His response, as Kwadja remembers it: no single community organization speaks for the whole community; you should trust us; we know what's best. He shut it down. Gene Demby names the obvious irony: Barack Obama built his entire political identity as a community organizer on the South Side of Chicago, the very person who would have been on the other side of this negotiating table in a different era. The audio clip of Obama speaking about being 'very confident in our ability to make sure that we have a very inclusive process' lands differently in that context. Kwadja says it was jarring, and that many people who felt broadly sympathetic to the Obama Center were nonetheless taken aback by his refusal to engage with the organizers.
In 2017, Obama was directly asked whether the Obama Foundation would sign a community benefits agreement to protect housing. He declined, saying no group speaks for the whole community and that people should trust him. The irony: he built his entire political identity as a community organizer.
Calling what's happening in Woodlawn 'gentrification' is technically imprecise: classic gentrification — wealthy white newcomers flooding a Black neighborhood — often doesn't happen that way in Black communities. But disinvestment followed by speculation is very real. Natalie Moore argues the framing on all sides has been overstated.
Kierkegaard's concept of anxiety as 'the dizziness of freedom' predates Freud's psychological framework by roughly 60 years, yet modern research has since validated his core claims about commitment and identity.
Between 2003 and 2020, Americans accumulated roughly 24 extra hours per month spent alone — the equivalent of a part-time job's worth of isolation, and that's before the pandemic.
Median age at first marriage climbed from 21 (women) and 23 (men) in the 1970s to nearly 29 (women) and 30 (men) today — a rise of 6–8 years per gender, extending the 'emerging adulthood' liminal phase.
San Francisco's average rent rose 18% over the past two years to $3,728/month, surpassing New York City as the most expensive rental market in the country.
San Francisco's average monthly rent now stands at $3,728, surpassing New York City to become the most expensive rental city in the United States.
At a childhood sleepover, Bobby Lee's friends drew penises on his face and he walked 7 miles home on a dirt road before being picked up by Eric Purvis's mom.
In 1950, about 60% of the world lived in extreme poverty; today it's about 1 in 10, attributable to capitalist economic growth.
From 2021 to 2024, 6 million children fell below the poverty line in the US after the expanded child tax credit expired.
Private domestic infant and international adoptions typically cost $40,000 to $70,000, while foster care adoption is the most affordable route at $0 to $2,000.
We use essential and analytics cookies to run Vuci. To understand how the site is used: Privacy Policy.
Install Vuci on your phone
Add it to your home screen for a faster, app-like experience.
Install Vuci on your phone
Tap the Share button, then “Add to Home Screen”.
A new version is available
Reload to get the latest Vuci.