DC Talk Heads Racial Reconciliation Rally

Event Marks 40-Year Anniversary of Integration of Little Rock Central High School and Launches Efforts of The E.R.A.C.E. Foundation 

Virgin/ForeFront recording artist dc Talk will headline a very special Racial Reconciliation Rally at the Riverfest Amphitheater in Little Rock, Ark. on Sunday, September 21, 1997. The event starts at 3:00 p.m. and will mark the beginning of "Racial Reconciliation Week" in Arkansas as proclaimed by Governor Mike Huckabee, who invited dc Talk’s participation in the week’s activities. 

Little Rock was a focal point during the traumatic civil rights era, and this week-long emphasis on racial reconciliation will recognize the 40-year anniversary of the integration of Little Rock Central High School.  Central High was the site of the famous showdown between Arkansas Governor Orval Faubus and President Eisenhower in 1957—when nine black students had to be escorted into the school by military personnel.   

During the week of September 21-27, President Bill Clinton, Governor Huckabee and Mayor Jim Dailey will reopen the doors of Central High and welcome back those original nine students.  The Sunday afternoon Racial Reconciliation Rally will kick off the week with a performance by dc Talk, who also invited fellow recording artists CeCe Winans and GRITS to perform during the afternoon.  The rally will include special appearances by not only Governor Huckabee and Mayor Dailey, but also boxing superstar Evander Holyfield, former NFL star Miles McPherson and Dr. E.V. Hill, among others, along with a special videotaped message from Dr. Billy Graham. 

Several thousand people are expected to attend the Racial Reconciliation Rally, which is also the first major initiative by dc Talk to launch The E.R.A.C.E. Foundation, a non-profit organization created in part by dc Talk members Toby McKeehan, Michael Tait and Kevin Smith.  E.R.A.C.E. is devoted to the furtherance of unity and harmony among all races, using education as the primary tool to promote dialogue among all peoples and eliminate barriers to racial reconciliation. 

"We live our ideals on a daily basis, and that has more impact than words can ever have—it’s what we call living integration," McKeehan explains.  "Through the foundation and through events like this one, we want to challenge our audience to do the same." 

Celebrating the diversity of the human race is the main idea behind dc Talk’s single, "Colored People," and is also a major theme for The E.R.A.C.E. Foundation. "We believe that young people can and will become a force for racial harmony," Tait says.  "One of our goals is to realize that we can learn from one another.  We want to motivate our generation to act on the core belief that we are all equal." 

For more information on the September 21 Racial Reconciliation Rally, please call (501) 954-9390 in Little Rock or contact True Artist Managment at (615) 791-7977.