Obama Presidential Center slammed for promoting 'far-left' agenda on public land

"It's an Illinois Democrat tradition to insert divisive, far-left policies into the lives of everyday Americans and to balk at the rule of law," Illinois Republican Party Chair Kathy Salvi told Fox News Digital.

"The Obama Center is no different. It is a recipient of taxpayer funds built on public lands and flouts 'anti-racism' hiring goals," Salvi said. "But such employment practices sound discriminatory and unmoored from any assessment of merit."

The Obama Foundation secured control of a 19.3-acre section of Jackson Park - often described as Chicago's equivalent of Central Park - under a 99-year agreement for just $10, after city officials approved the project under the premise that the center would function as a civic institution serving the public interest.

Opponents argued the land transfer violated the public trust doctrine, a legal principle requiring public land to serve a public purpose, and filed multiple lawsuits seeking to halt construction. The courts ultimately allowed the project to proceed without adjudicating the merits of those claims.

The foundation will operate from the center and oversee a 225-foot-tall museum, conference facilities, a gymnasium and a regulation-sized NBA court. There will also be a digital library, although it will not house original presidential records in the same manner as NARA-run libraries.

Construction costs for the site have ballooned from an original estimate of $330 million to at least $850 million, and the project has also relied on publicly funded infrastructure work surrounding the site.

Salvi said the hiring language reinforces concerns that the Obama Presidential Center is operating as an ideological institution despite being built on public land under a civic justification.

For instance, job postings state that the foundation is "deeply committed to creating an actively anti-racist organization, leveraging our global reach to combat systemic racism and inequity wherever it exists."

"Anti-racism" is the belief that people must not simply eschew racism, but must actively fight any perception of it. The term came into widespread use amid the rise of Black Lives Matter, and was touted by author Ibram X. Kendi in his 2019 book, "How to Be an Antiracist." Critics say anti-racism stresses outcomes over opportunity and assigns collective guilt to people who may be unfairly viewed as "oppressors" based on their own skin color.

"In the United States, we are still grappling - in ways large and small - with the legacy of slavery and Jim Crow and the scourge of racism," the statement reads.

"That's why our goal is to make sure every member of the Foundation team is committed to anti-racism, sets expectations for how we will engage, and makes space for the work," the statement continues. "We're focused on making sure our actions match our intent - removing barriers for diverse vendors, building anti-racism and equity into our hiring practices, and recruiting diverse cohorts for our leadership programs."

Critics like Salvi have also pointed to the project's long-standing emphasis on diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives as evidence that ideological priorities were embedded into the center from its inception.

Those initiatives have already given rise to real-world legal and financial disputes.

WATCH: The Brian Kilmeade Show: Obama Presidential Center rocked by $40M racial bias lawsuit

"The Illinois Republican Party stands with President Trump and the Justice Department to end the tyranny of DEI and woke, performative politics plaguing the federal government, our military and the private sector," Salvi said.

The Obama Foundation responded to criticism of its hiring language by pointing to its stated values.

"Our values remain the same as the day we began; we will continue to actively work to combat racism as we strive to build a more perfect union," Emily Bittner, the foundation's vice president of communications, said in a statement to Fox News Digital.

Supporters of the project have said the Obama Presidential Center will serve as a cultural and educational anchor on Chicago's South Side and reflect the values and legacy of former President Obama.