![\"President](\"http:\/\/www.whitehouse.gov\/sites\/default\/files\/imagecache\/embedded_img_small\/image\/image_file\/_g1a7384.jpg\" "\\"President")
<\/p>\n\n President Barack Obama delivers remarks to discuss proposals unveiled in the State of the Union Address that focus on strengthening the economy for the middle class and those striving to get there, at Hyde Park Academy, Chicago, Ill., Feb. 15, 2013. <\/p>\n
(Official White House Photo by Pete Souza) <\/p>\n<\/div>\n
President Obama was in Chicago on Friday to talk about the importance of making sure every child in America has every chance in life to succeed. Speaking at the Hyde Park Career Academy, which is less than a mile from the Obama's home in that city, the President discussed the recent death of Hadiyah Pendleton, a Chicago teenager who was shot just days after attending the 57th Presidential Inauguration in Washington, DC.<\/p>\n
Hadiyah's parents were guests of First Lady Michelle Obama at the State of the Union address on Tuesday<\/a>, where President Obama discussed the need to prevent this kind of senseless violence and protect American children. But the important goal of keeping guns out of the hands of criminals<\/a> is not enough to ensure a bright future for all of our children, and the President also laid out a plan to rebuild ladders of opportunity for every American<\/a> who is willing to work hard and climb them. This includes making sure every child in America has access to high-quality pre-K<\/a>, and raising the minimum wage so that no family that works hard and relies on a minimum wage is living in poverty<\/a>. But creating a path into the middle class also means transforming high-poverty communities into places of opportunity that can attract private investment, improve education, and create jobs, and President Obama talked about his plan to make that happen<\/a>:<\/p>\n