Give Peace a Chance

An afternoon event was held on Sept. 19 outside Overton Elementary School, 221 E 49th St. in the parking lot. The local community came together, organized by SocialWorks and SaveMoneySaveLife, to gather donations such as school supplies, household goods and Connie's individual pizzas to distribute to families at the school. Agencies such as CALOR with HIV/AIDS services were onhand to provide information and COVID testing was available onsite throughout the day. A DJ entertained attendees and a taco truck provided snacks in the lot.

Speeches from performers Joey Purp and Vic Mensa began at noon with singing and prayers from a local Native American Lakota tribe following after.

The masked crowd then moved into a Peace Walk around the Southside neighborhood, complete with a band and chanting. The group returned to the parking lot to continue the celebration and important networking.

Chance the Rapper met up with his friends Vic Mensa, Joey Purp and G Herb to talk a bit about the event at brief press conference.

Purp talked to GoPride about his expectations after the event that day, "We want to see people coming forward to change these things little by little. People need to come together. We need to people to want to push themselves to be better. We can give people the resources, but it is up to them to use them."

Chance stated, "We amplified this, but the truth is anyone can do this in their community. Some communities do this all time with free groceries and services."

The million dollar quartet remained positive in their approach by teaming up and described Chicago as a city "full of love."

G Herb described the tough neighborhood in Chicago where he grew up and wanting to make more youth centers. He created the event to give back to the city and was "honored to be able to do this."

"We want to change the narrative and lead by example," Purp said. "We want to show the next generation what they can do."

SocialWorks was founded by Chance the Rapper to empower youth through the arts. Get involved by visiting SocialWorksChi.org.

For more on SaveMoneySaveLife.org visit their website to learn about pushing culture further in the world today.