While all of the press tends to go towards that upstate concert, the Harlem Cultural Festival of 1969, or Black Woodstock as it has come to be known, was arugably as culturally and politically important. The event took place over a series of six weeks at Harlem's Marcus Garvey Park (then still known as Mount Morris Park) and featured performances by Nina Simone, Sly & The Family Stone, the Fifth Dimension, B.B. King, Stevie Wonder and many more. The music was fantastic, but what made the event so special was the combination of art and activism taking place in the politically volatile time.
This is a panel discussion where this theme will be explored extensively. The panel features legendary MC Talib Kweli, musician Igmar Thomas, trumpeter Keyon Harrold, percussionist Juma Sultan and hip-hop amassador to the U.S. State Department Toni Blackman.