Obama to visit Chicago and 'talk about the gun violence that has tragically affected too many families'

President Obama will travel to Chicago on Friday to speak as part of a three-city tour -- and also will address gun violence during a speech aimed at elaborating on his State of the Union address, the Chicago Tribune reported.

The visit follows the recent murder of Hadiya Pendleton, the 15-year-old girl who died near her school, just a week after playing with her school band at the president's inauguration in Washington, D.C.

An official explained to the Tribune, "The president will travel to Chicago for an event amplifying some of the policy proposals included in the State of the Union that focus on strengthening the economy for the middle class and the Americans striving to get there," adding, "He’ll of course also talk about the gun violence that has tragically affected too many families in communities across Chicago and across the country."

Obama will give his State of the Union address on Tuesday, then travel to Asheville, N.C., on Wednesday, and Atlanta, Georgia, on Thursday.

Michelle Obama visited Chicago earlier in response to Pendleton's murder.

Activists in Chicago have been calling for Obama to address gun violence in the city. Last week on Melissa Harris-Perry, Cathy Cohen, founder of the Black Youth Project and political science professor at the University of Chicago, said that the president visited Newtown and Aurora in the wake of violence, as he should have, but that Chicago also needed to believe that "our children are worthy also."

[Image via AFP]