Chicago’s Hip Hop community celebrated the life and legacy of Civil Rights icon Martin Luther King, Jr.
The MCs that honored King from Chicago’s burgeoning rap scene included Lil Bibby, Chella H, Lil Durk, Fredo Santana, Gino Marley, Lil Reese and Katie Got Bandz.
Bibby posted an image of King giving his famous “I Have A Dream” speech at the Aug. 28, 1963 March On Washington to his IG. The “Free Crack” rapper captioned the post with a famous quote by King, reading, “The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience.”
Chella posted a funny meme to her IG account that featured Martin Lawrence, Luther Vandross, a King of Spades playing card and Junior from “My Wife And Kids.” These images combined spell out Martin Luther King, Jr. Chella captioned her post, “Love u Martin Luther King Jr.”
Lil Durk rebuked violence and beckoned his followers to reflect on King’s message
“He put in blood in tears to make a way for the future and some ppl dat kill and shoot kids be in jail for life cause they don’t understand history,” the caption on his post read.
Fredo Santana posted a quote from King to his IG, reading, “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.”
Fredo’s Savage Squad protégé Gino Marley posted an image of the newly constructed King monument in D.C. to his IG account.
Lil Reese showed a display of black love between King and his Coretta Scott King to his IG.
Katie Got Bandz posted an image of Martin and Coretta leading a march in the deep South. The caption on her post read, “HAPPY MLK DAY.”
King, born Jan. 15, 1929, is regarded as one of the world’s most renowned human rights activists for his role in pushing civil rights reform in America.
King was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize on Oct. 14, 1964 for practicing nonviolence when dealing with racial inequality in America. His work in pushing for civil rights reform in America led to the signing of the Civil Rights Acts in 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965, respectively.
King’s call for equal employment opportunities for African Americans is still a fight that rages on 40 years after the March.
Chicago and many major metropolitan cities have disproportionately high African American unemployment rates. In 2011, African American unemployment in Chicago ranked third highest in the country, according to a report by the Economic Policy Institute.
Huge disparities continue to exist between black and whites as it did pre-Civil Rights era.
The poverty rate amongst African Americans in Chicago stands at 34.1 percent, more than triple that of Whites, according to statistics compiled by Chicago Reader. For Whites, the poverty rate is 10.9 percent.
The unemployment rate for African Americans in Chicago is 19.5 percent, more than double that of Whites, which is 8.1 percent.
King unfortunately met his untimely demise after he was assassinated March 29, 1968 in Memphis.
Check out Martin Luther King, Jr. in “Eyes On The Prize: Episode 10- ‘The Promise Land’”
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