Join us for a July 4 Celebration of the “Brave New Voices” Emerging in Chicago Art, Culture, and Politics.
With a Black president now sitting in a White House built by slaves, much progress has clearly been made in the 150 odd years since the abolitionist and former slave Frederick Douglass famously said, “This Fourth of July is yours, not mine. You may rejoice, I must mourn.”
Independent’s Day: Re-birth of a Nation aims to celebrate that progress and the people’s history from which we’ve come. But also, as Douglass did, Independent’s Day aims to use words, art, and ideas on the fourth of July to beg the question: how far do we still have to go?
Highlighting young people, artists, and activists (independent voices traditionally left out of mainstream political dialogue) and hosted by Kevin Coval, HBO Def Poet and founder of Louder Than A Bomb, the Chicago teen poetry festival - Independent’s Day will feature:
- A kick-off event to celebrate the upcoming Brave New Voices international youth poetry slam, recently featured on HBO, with a grudge match between the three Chicago teams who will be vying for the 2009 Youth Poetry Slam Champion title at the July 14-19 competition.
- A performance by local hip-hop act, The Tomorrow Kings.
- Live art by Novem, a Chicago graffiti and design collective.
- Music from DJ Itch 13, resident at Ohm.
Also featuring information on how to become involved in various activist campaigns taking place today, will also be present. With: Haymarket Books, a Chicago-based non-profit, progressive book publisher featuring titles that aim to help arm a new generation of activists with ideas and history relevant to the many struggles for social justice today; the artwork of Krista Franklin, poet, educator, and visual artist; art and original design apparel from Novem Studios; and staff from Young Chicago Authors, a non-profit which encourages self-expression and literacy through creative writing and performance that provides free artist-led workshops for students.