By Ismael AbduSalaam
In honor of the vision of his late mother Dr. Donda West, Kanye West has announced a second “Stay in School” Chicago benefit concert.
The event is sponsored by the Kanye West Foundation (KWF), which was created by Kanye’s mother in 2007.
The main focus of the organization remains fighting against the alarming level of school dropouts around the country.
The concert was originally conceived by David Abrams, a Highland Park High School sophomore in Chicago.
After forming the non-profit organization S.H.O.W. (Students Helping Our World), Abrams reached out to Kanye for assistance in using his music to advocate academic excellence.
The Chicago superstar was more than willing to oblige.
“I have always had the desire to help people and make the world a better place,” Kanye explained to AllHipHop.com in a prepared statement.
KWF CEO Joseph Collins reiterated Kanye’s stance, but emphasized the leadership shown by the Chicago students of S.H.O.W. in bringing the concert to fruition.
“I believe that youth are the music for creating a world filled with harmony. To create such a world, however, we must all do our part. This cause is directly in line with the mission of the KWF,” Collins told AllHipHop.com. “We see this event as a launching pad and long-term effort to help students in school. Immediately upon learning about David Abrams and S.H.O.W, we knew this was a good match. The fact that a young person chose to lead this effort and challenge his peers to do better in school is amazing and exactly what Dr. West envisioned when she and Kanye created this foundation. I believe these efforts directly support the vision Dr. West had for the organization and for America’s children. I see this concert as the seed that will allow us to ‘fulfill a mother’s dream.’”
The event will be taped by the national music network Fuse, and airs sometime this summer.
Kanye West’s 2009 “Stay in School” concert commences June 11 at the historic Chicago Theatre.
Tickets are priced from $49.50 to $500 for VIP privileges, and can be purchased starting this Thursday (May 21) at www.ticketmaster.com.