The groundbreaking ceremony, attended by former President Obama, former First Lady Michelle Obama, and Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker, took place on September 28, 2021.
Despite progress, the center’s opening has been pushed back multiple times and is now expected in 2026.
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Discrimination Suit Disrupts DEI Narrative
The project’s commitment to DEI has been called into question by a lawsuit filed by Robert McGee, co-owner of II in One Construction, a minority-owned subcontractor responsible for concrete and rebar work at the site.
McGee’s lawsuit, seeking $40.75 million in damages, alleges racial discrimination by Thornton Tomasetti, a New York-based structural engineering firm involved in the project.
Filed under the Civil Rights Act of 1866, the lawsuit accuses Thornton Tomasetti of defamatory and discriminatory actions that led to extreme financial losses for II in One Construction. McGee contends that the firm’s actions have pushed his company to the brink of bankruptcy.
