every community has a theme song it’s
usually a melodic cacophony of his
passing and president king Lincoln
district is no different today we’ll get
to hear that song
now as skylines changed buildings come
and go
sometimes communities lose that song
sometimes it’s flat-out erased but it’s
upon us incumbent upon us to keep that
song alive for me it started here 98
Hamilton Park this is the former home of
the urban minority alcohol there’s an
outreach program we call it a new mop
for short it was ran by mr. Alfred C ray
who’s here today
[Applause]
oome op was a drug and alcohol awareness
program for teens and within that
program was the self esteem team the
self esteem team was a performance-based
education group they used raps and skits
with courses like get high on life or
I’m proud of what I am to teach and
impart the dangers of drug and alcohol
use it was it was within that group that
I first fully became emerged in hip-hop
culture
as well as one of the first times that I
really saw music being used to teach and
connect community we must keep these
songs alive in our communities these
songs influence how other people see our
community especially when they look at
our community as something that’s dead
dying ripe for renewal rejuvenation a
lot of us know it firsthand quite
frankly as gentrification and I’m
seeking to change those perspectives I
think to myself what better way to
change somebody’s perspective mentally
then they change their perspective
visually so today I’m not going to take
you on a tour of the streets of the King
Lincoln district instead we’re going to
fly through them so we can hear and see
a king Lincoln district as a
historically black neighborhood just
now years ago
the residents of this neighborhood
called it Brownsville it had its
affluence and it had its quote/unquote
everyday people now as you approach this
neighborhood from the West the Long
Street Bridge and the cultural wall put
names and faces to a lot of the people
who had artistic specifically musical
influences throughout this neighborhood
now whether that’s Carl Sally rusty
Bryant Rahsaan Roland Kirk just to name
a few now I wasn’t there to hear what
that sounded like but when I think about
it I think it might have sounded a bit
like this
now along with that artistic creative
energy that the district had Bronzeville
was very very very very intentionally
involved in civic and religious
engagement throughout the community so
whether that’s spaces like Second
Baptist Church or others that serve desk
not only stations for the Underground
Railroad but then again as hosts for
civil rights and community activism
whether it’s 1968 or 2018 it would not
be uncommon to hear sounds like let’s
say Amazing Grace floating through the
community now with the construction of
the i-71 highway some other factors that
included the outflux of some affluent
families a lot of people use those
factors so now see the king lincoln
district as a poverty or crime-ridden
neighborhood and of course that makes it
easier to come in and make the
neighborhood better but we must keep in
mind that even to this day Bronzeville
hosts festivals community development
organizations banks small business
owners medical research facilities along
with nationally known and recognized
creatives and artists all of which are
doing their part to place their voice
their song their harmony within the song
that is the song of the king Lincoln
district along with doing that work for
the future residents they’re putting
their stamp on the hang on excuse me on
to me it sounds a little like this
we must remember to keep these songs
alive now if you drown out the hustle
and bustle of traffic where the dings
and pings of our digital devices or even
if you can find a way to ignore the
screams of war and brutality you’ll be
able to hear the song of whatever
community whatever neighborhood that
you’re from and I charge you to add your
voice to that song to me by adding my
voice
[Music]
make sure you add your voice thank you [Music]
usually a melodic cacophony of his
passing and president king Lincoln
district is no different today we’ll get
to hear that song
now as skylines changed buildings come
and go
sometimes communities lose that song
sometimes it’s flat-out erased but it’s
upon us incumbent upon us to keep that
song alive for me it started here 98
Hamilton Park this is the former home of
the urban minority alcohol there’s an
outreach program we call it a new mop
for short it was ran by mr. Alfred C ray
who’s here today
[Applause]
oome op was a drug and alcohol awareness
program for teens and within that
program was the self esteem team the
self esteem team was a performance-based
education group they used raps and skits
with courses like get high on life or
I’m proud of what I am to teach and
impart the dangers of drug and alcohol
use it was it was within that group that
I first fully became emerged in hip-hop
culture
as well as one of the first times that I
really saw music being used to teach and
connect community we must keep these
songs alive in our communities these
songs influence how other people see our
community especially when they look at
our community as something that’s dead
dying ripe for renewal rejuvenation a
lot of us know it firsthand quite
frankly as gentrification and I’m
seeking to change those perspectives I
think to myself what better way to
change somebody’s perspective mentally
then they change their perspective
visually so today I’m not going to take
you on a tour of the streets of the King
Lincoln district instead we’re going to
fly through them so we can hear and see
a king Lincoln district as a
historically black neighborhood just
now years ago
the residents of this neighborhood
called it Brownsville it had its
affluence and it had its quote/unquote
everyday people now as you approach this
neighborhood from the West the Long
Street Bridge and the cultural wall put
names and faces to a lot of the people
who had artistic specifically musical
influences throughout this neighborhood
now whether that’s Carl Sally rusty
Bryant Rahsaan Roland Kirk just to name
a few now I wasn’t there to hear what
that sounded like but when I think about
it I think it might have sounded a bit
like this
now along with that artistic creative
energy that the district had Bronzeville
was very very very very intentionally
involved in civic and religious
engagement throughout the community so
whether that’s spaces like Second
Baptist Church or others that serve desk
not only stations for the Underground
Railroad but then again as hosts for
civil rights and community activism
whether it’s 1968 or 2018 it would not
be uncommon to hear sounds like let’s
say Amazing Grace floating through the
community now with the construction of
the i-71 highway some other factors that
included the outflux of some affluent
families a lot of people use those
factors so now see the king lincoln
district as a poverty or crime-ridden
neighborhood and of course that makes it
easier to come in and make the
neighborhood better but we must keep in
mind that even to this day Bronzeville
hosts festivals community development
organizations banks small business
owners medical research facilities along
with nationally known and recognized
creatives and artists all of which are
doing their part to place their voice
their song their harmony within the song
that is the song of the king Lincoln
district along with doing that work for
the future residents they’re putting
their stamp on the hang on excuse me on
to me it sounds a little like this
we must remember to keep these songs
alive now if you drown out the hustle
and bustle of traffic where the dings
and pings of our digital devices or even
if you can find a way to ignore the
screams of war and brutality you’ll be
able to hear the song of whatever
community whatever neighborhood that
you’re from and I charge you to add your
voice to that song to me by adding my
voice
[Music]
make sure you add your voice thank you [Music]
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