Takin' It To The Streets Fest Will Celebrate MLK's Legacy, And Rakim Is Headlining
By Mike Ewing in Arts & Entertainment on May 25, 2016 6:39PM
NEW YORK - NOVEMBER 20: Rakim performs at the Apple Store in Soho on November 20, 2009 in New York City. (Photo by Jason Kempin/Getty Images)
This year's Takin' It to the Streets fest in Marquette Park will celebrate the 50th anniversary of Martin Luther King, Jr.'s march against segregation in Chicago, according to organizers. The music festival and summit will also include a headlining performance by legendary MC Rakim.
MLK and hundreds of activists marched to Marquette Park, then part of an all-white housing area, as part of the Chicago Freedom Movement's protests against segregation on Aug. 6, 1966. The march is seen by many as a pivotal moment in the Civil Rights movement.
Festival organizers plan to recreate the march and unveil a memorial commemorating the MLK's work 50 years later to the date. Takin It to the Streets, hosted by the Inner-City Muslim Action Network since 1997, is seen as a way to bridge cultural divides in Chicago.
Takin' It to the Streets is free and takes place in Marquette Park from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Aug. 6.