Vic Mensa To Host Sleep-Out into Battle Youth Homelessness in Chicago
Written by Brittany Leigh on November 19, 2020
Grammy-nominated, NAACP Image Award-winning rapper-musician Vic Mensa will lead a candlelight vigil in support of Black homeless youth in Chicago. The event will take place today (November 19) at 6 p.m. central time.
With 75% of Chicago’s homeless youth being Black and that demographic being three times more likely to contract and die from Covid-19 than their white counterparts—it is our mission to raise awareness of disparities plaguing our city.
Vic Mensa’s sleep-out will be hosted in front of his non-profit SaveMoneySaveLife (located at 517 E 47th street) with the goal of raising awareness and at least $10,000 for Chicago’s homeless Black community. The sleep-out will be exactly 12 hours, running from 6 pm to 6 am. Mensan and his team hope to meet their $10,000 goal in that window.
Vic Mensa will be live streaming on SMSL’s and his own socials through 6 a.m. tomorrow (November 20) while promoting and encouraging fans to donate during that time. Donations will benefit the local homeless charity Covenant House.
Vic Mensa took to his page to announce the cause in the video below:
Donate to the cause here.
While COVID-19 cases have surged in the Chicagoland area, the need for shelter has too. Covenant House Illinois’ annual “SleepOut: Chicago” has collaborated with local artists to safely raise awareness of youth homelessness with three events in the city.
According to a press release published by the Covenant House, the sleep-out will be preceded by a small celebration kick-off at 5:30 pm featuring “The Voice” contestant Darious Lyles who will perform “How Do You Sleep?” the audition song that clinched his spot on Team John Legend. The mini-concert will be held at 641 East 47th Street, Chicago.
“Youth homelessness is a serious issue that goes unnoticed. These young people are often victims of violence and sex trafficking. The pandemic adds yet another threat. That’s why it was important for us to do something, beyond bringing awareness to this issue,” explained Two Fish Crab Shack owner, Yasmin Curtis, who traditionally donates Thanksgiving meals at her restaurant and gives away grocery store gift cards.
These events will adhere to local Covid-19 guidelines to ensure the safety of all participants.
In an interview with TMZ, Vic Mensa discusses the impact he hopes to make.
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