NAACP Chicago Westside Branch Announces 2025 Freedom Fund Concert After Seven-Year Hiatus

The NAACP Chicago Westside Branch has announced its 2025 Freedom Fund Concert Fundraiser, marking the organization's first such event in seven years. The concert will take place on September 20, 2025, at the Kehrein Center for the Arts, featuring headline performer Terisa Griffin and special performances by the world-renowned Hiplet Ballerinas.

This year's event carries significant importance as it addresses what organizers describe as "unprecedented rollbacks in funding, civil rights, and policies that directly impact our communities." Under the theme "The Fierce Urgency of Now: Reignite! Rebuild! Recommit!", the concert serves as both a cultural celebration and a critical fundraising effort for the branch's year-round advocacy work.

Funds raised will directly support the NAACP's programs in housing, education, economic development, and criminal justice reform on Chicago's West Side. The event represents a crucial moment for community mobilization amid growing challenges to civil rights and economic justice initiatives.

Ticket information and event details are available at https://www.cwbnaacp.org, with VIP tickets priced at $125 including premium seating and access to a pre-reception, while general admission tickets cost $50. The venue will offer valet parking for $15 and free shuttle service from the CPD 15th District Parking Lot.

The event will honor four community leaders for their contributions to civil rights and social justice: Vera G. Davis, receiving the President's Award for decades of leadership; Nathaniel Gaither of Lawndale Christian Legal Center for youth empowerment work; Angela Taylor of Garfield Park Community Council for community advocacy; and Schanel "Princess" Shaw of Light Up Lawndale for creative community impact.

Sacella M. Smith, Co-Chair of the Freedom Fund Concert Committee, emphasized that "this concert is more than a fundraiser—it's a rallying cry for justice, unity, and Westside revitalization." The return of this event after seven years underscores the renewed commitment to addressing pressing social justice issues while celebrating the cultural richness of Chicago's West Side communities.