WBEZ Chicago, the minds behind “Making Oprah,” have turned their attention to America’s first Black president, Barack Obama.
“Making Obama” explores the former president’s early political years in Chicago and his relationship with the city as he went from community organizer to senator with the man himself telling the story along with mentors, close advisers, and even some rivals.
The six-part podcast, which debuted Feb. 8, has already aired three episodes and fans are feeling it
Series host Jennifer White told the Chicago Tribune, “The city of Chicago played an essential role in shaping Obama’s approach to politics and WBEZ had a front row seat to that journey.”
Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel also gives his thoughts on Obama’s early years in an episode, adding that the former president has an “unbelievable, warm, capturing smile. It covers a very tough, steel spine.”
White added, “By the time much of the nation got to know Obama, he was a polished politician. Through this project, we hope to shed light on what he had to learn, how he had to grow and how he wasn’t on this inevitable path to the presidency. There are a lot of things that happened — some of it just plain old luck — that helped him get there, and Chicago was certainly a conduit to his success.”
You can check out the first three episode of “Making Obama” here, with new episodes being added weekly.