New Delhi, June 19 -- The Obama Presidential Center in Chicago marks what former President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama describe as the culmination of a journey that began in the city and led to the White House. In their first joint interview since leaving office in 2017, the couple told ABC News the center is meant less as a retrospective tribute and more as a catalyst for civic inspiration.

Speaking to ABC News in the special "The Obama Legacy: First Joint Interview Post-White House," Barack Obama said the center is designed to avoid sentimentality about his presidency.

"I'm not interested in the center and the exhibits being an exercise in nostalgia," he said. "What I want people to feel when they come through he...