How Black-Owned BOWA Construction Played A Part In The Obama Presidential Center And Its Lasting Legacy – AfroTech
The Obama Presidential Center is a nod not only to legacy and community but also to Black-owned businesses.
As AFROTECH™ previously reported, the center opened on Juneteenth in Chicago. Its museum reservations are already sold out through 2027, but new groups of tickets are available for sale on the second Wednesday of each month. The rest of the campus remains open to the public free of charge, according to CBS News.
All in all, President Barack Obama hopes the place will be a place for “leaders and people from all over the world to come together, get inspired, and take what they learn back to their own communities,” he shared in an Instagram post.
Home Court
The vision of the center was brought to life by a coalition of partners, which includes four Black-owned construction firms. Among them is BOWA Construction, a firm founded by Nosa Ehimwenman that worked on Home Court. This 60,000-square-foot athletic and events space reflects Obama’s trust in sports, mentorship, and connection, according to the presidential center’s website.
Home Court features an NBA-regulation-sized basketball court, practice courts, and accessible seating. It also features programming focused on health, leadership development, career exploration, and relationship building.
“Throughout our history, sports has had this power to bring us together, even when the country is divided,” Obama said in a statement on the center’s website.
Home Court’s design also centers sustainability. So you will find solar panels and geothermal pumps.
The project required a team effort, with more than 55% of project dollars going toward women- and minority-owned subcontractors and businesses, per ABC 7 Chicago.
“When they ask questions, ‘Who built this? Who built this?’ They know that someone that looks like them not only became the president but also constructed a facility like this,” Ehimwenman told the outlet.
Similarly to the presidential center being a place of opportunity, BOWA Construction also has a shared mission through its nonprofit BOWA Gives, which provides sports, education, and construction programming for youth. There are also aspirations for an affordable housing project, according to ABC 7 Chicago.
