Walt Whitman & The Soul Children of Chicago perform at World Summit of Nobel Laureates

Published: April 23, 2012

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

April 23, 2012

CHICAGO - The World Summit is internationally recognized as among the most important annual events in the field of peacemaking, attracting hundreds of high-profile leaders and organizations from around the globe. The event is co-chaired by former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev and Hon. Walter Veltroni, the former Mayor of Rome. Mayor Emanuel will serve as the Summit’s honorary co-chair.

The three-day summit, themed “Speak Up, Speak Out for Freedom and Rights” will place a special emphasis on engaging and empowering youth to action through a series of plenary sessions and breakout discussions. Summit organizers have partnered with Chicago Public Schools and the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights to connect Nobel Laureates in sharing their powerful stories directly with Chicago students in the classroom.

Walt Whitman & The Soul Children of Chicago are honored to participate in the 12^th World Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates. Under the direction of Walt Whitman, Jr., The Soul Children of Chicago have spent their entire 30 year career dedicated to making an international impact around the world. This 60+ member youth choir comprised of Chicago area students ages 7 – 17 have performed in places such as Norway, Sweden, Israel and Nigeria. They recently made history as the first African-American youth choir to tour Italy. It’s not often children from Chicago can say they spent Christmas in Rome as the headlining act for Rome’s Gospel Festival! Most recently, The Soul Children of Chicago experience can be found as part of the DuSable Museum of African American History’s Spread The Word! The Evolution of Gospel from Chicago To The World exhibit.

“Our youth organization strives to make a daily impact in our city and around the world through music. We work with the Soul Children to build character and create servant leaders of integrity in education, family, social responsibility and community. Through The Soul Children of Chicago children from a variety of Chicagoland neighborhoods learn to lead with authenticity, consistently embracing new challenges, promoting peace, happiness and inspiring people all over the world. We’re elated to see the World Summit coming to Chicago at such a critical moment for our city. We must continue to come together and actively promote the message of peace and unity. We were humbled at the request for participation and are looking forward to being a part of a positive youth and international movement towards a peaceful city and world!” - Walt Whitman, Jr.

Their sound is powerful, magnetic, inspirational and their reach remains international. As they continue to mature with perfection, they expand their platform to accept the challenge of meeting the spiritual needs of this generation by addressing honest, everyday issues that children, teens, and adults encounter. Walt Whitman & The Soul Children of Chicago most recently released a trailer for their latest webisode project, Soul Stories. The first full episode will be released at their upcoming concert entitled Spread The Word with Walt Whitman & The Soul Children of Chicago featuring Voices of Unity a youth gospel choir from Sweden taking place Friday, May 18th at DuSable Museum. For more information visit their website at www.soulchildrenchicago.org.

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Keywords: Chicago, community, Englewood, Soul Children of Chicago, Walt Whitman jr, World Summit, Youth Activism