As President Trump prepared for another week of political sparring in Washington, former President Barack Obama reminded Americans what leadership looks like—showing up quietly, dressed as Santa Claus, to read to a room full of children on Chicago’s South Side.
On Tuesday morning, December 9, Obama appeared at the Bessie Coleman branch of the Chicago Public Library in Woodlawn, disguised in a red Santa hat and carrying a sack of gifts. The crowd of kindergarten through second-grade students froze for a moment before erupting in cheers.
“Hello, everybody,” he called out, his voice instantly recognizable. “It’s Santa Obama!”
One child shouted back, “We missed you!”—a comment that drew laughter and a few tears from the teachers and librarians present.
Obama, who began his career as a community organizer just a few miles away, sat cross-legged before the children and began reading Flying Free: How Bessie Coleman’s Dreams Took Flight by Karyn Parsons—the actress best known for The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.
The story, about pioneering Black aviator Bessie Coleman, carried extra weight in the moment. Coleman, born in 1892, was the first Black woman and Native American to earn a pilot’s license—breaking racial and gender barriers long before the civil rights movement.
“She proved that no dream is too high, and no barrier too strong,” Obama told the children. “You can be anything you want to be—scientist, pilot, president, you name it.”
According to CBS Chicago, the kids responded with an outpouring of ambition: “I want to be a police officer!” one said. “A doctor!” shouted another. One boy smiled shyly and said, “I want to be like you.”
“All I’m doing—right now—all I am is old,” Obama joked, drawing laughter from the room.
After reading, Obama posed for photos, handed out books, hats, and gloves, and encouraged the children to keep reading even when school was out. “Reading,” he said, “is how you build your own wings.”
The visit, though seemingly lighthearted, struck a deeper chord across social media. Many saw it as a quiet reminder of compassion and decency at a time when national politics feels divisive. “Only Obama could pull off Santa and statesman in one breath,” one X user wrote.
Community activist Letisha Howard, who helped organize the event, said Obama’s appearance “brought joy to a neighborhood that’s often forgotten.”
“He didn’t come with cameras or speeches,” Howard said. “He came with books. That’s the difference.”
The former president’s stop comes months before the grand opening of the Obama Presidential Center in nearby Jackson Park, which will include a new public library branch and youth reading programs modeled after the event.
As Obama left the library, waving to the crowd, one child yelled after him, “Santa Obama, don’t forget us next year!”
He smiled and replied, “Wouldn’t dream of it.”
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Source: CBS Chicago, Chicago Public Library, Associated Press
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Would not let my children sit
The evil grinch trying to become Santa Claus! What a nightmare…
You must be kidding me- by far worse President and certainly not Santa material