2024 Fall Fest and Slammin Rhymes Challenge XVIII

The Indianapolis Public Library’s African American History Committee, in support of the Center for Black Literature & Culture (CBLC), presents Fall Fest 2024 Slammin Rhymes Challenge XVIII.

The family-friendly festival will include a dynamic speech from 16 year-old author and activist, Yolanda Renee King, the only grandchild of the late Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Coretta Scott King. Yolanda King's new book We Dream A World is a call for unity and equality and is inspired by Langston Hughes’s seminal poem “I Dream A World”. Yolanda Renee King is leading a new generation of modern activists. Though the 16 year-old never met her grandfather, she is galvanizing countless young people to stand up and speak out on a range of issues affecting the world today. She represents and embodies this year’s Fall Fest theme, “Courage”.

In addition to Yolanda’s talk, local youth will perform their winning poetry entries from this year’s Slammin' Rhymes Challenge, a contest for poets, rappers, and spoken word artists in grades 7-12. Download the Slammin' Rhymes Challenge entry form or enter online. Fall Fest provides a safe, fun, and free celebration that exposes the youth and our community in general to positive role models. The event will also feature performances from local interactive groups from exercising to dancing and much more! This event is free and open to the public.

Made possible by The Indianapolis Foundation Library Fund and J. Steve & Donna D. Talley Fund through gifts to The Indianapolis Public Library Foundation.

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