Diverse Communities United
Join us for our 15th Annual DCU Event!
Monday, January 20, 2020
2:00 - 3:30 p.m. | Evanston Township High School Auditorium
1600 Dodge Avenue, Evanston, IL 60201
Diverse Communities United (DCU) is Y.O.U.'s annual celebration of peace, diversity, unity, leadership, and service help in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day. This year's theme is "I Am My Ancestors' Wildest Dreams."
The youth-led event will feature performances and artwork by youth from 11 schools across Evanston and Skokie who seek to realize Dr. King's vision today.
The event is FREE, family-friendly, and open to all ages. A community reception will be held in the lobby outside of the auditorium immediately following the program.
You can visit our Facebook event to learn more, and get updates about how our youth are preparing for the big day!
We look forward to seeing you there!
Event Program
Diverse Communities United is a youth-led community event celebrating Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy and vision for a peaceful, just and equitable world.
Over the past few months, we worked together to develop several parts of today’s celebration. We brainstormed a theme for this year, and we worked with staff to vote on a theme that strongly connected with us.
This year’s theme that we decided on is “I am my ancestors’ wildest dreams.” This phrase is one of the countless statements that has inspired connectedness and responsibility to those who have fought, resisted, and persisted before us.
We chose this theme because we are working to be everything our ancestors would look up to and be proud of. We are on our way to achieve what our ancestors dreamed about, and we are here to show how we can change the world. Through this theme, we honor our ancestors and the people who came before us. We uplift the work that they have done to advance our journey towards freedom, and we continue on the path that they have laid foundations for.
All of the performers, artists, and stage assistants are involved in programs at Youth & Opportunity United. DCU is a unique opportunity for all of us to live out our values and show our friends and family the results of our hard work. Thank you again for celebrating with us today.
In peace and justice,
Autumn, Soleil, King, Jasmine, Michelle, Mia, Nia, Emma, Damien
Order of Events
- Lift Every Voice and Sing | Led by DCU Emcees & ETHS Students
- Introduction and Welcome | DCU Emcees
- A Manifestation of Our Ancestors’ Dreams | Dawes Elementary School, Walker Elementary School & Washington Elementary School
- Dancing into Tomorrow | Oakton Elementary School
- School Dayz | Lincoln Junior High School
- Edison Poets | Edison Elementary School
- The Definition | Nichols Middle School
- Presentation of the DCU 2020 Legacy Award | King Fanfan & DCU Emcees
- Live • Dance • Love | Old Orchard Junior High School in collaboration with Chute Middle School
- Susie Recognition | DCU Emcees
- We Are Our Ancestors’ Wildest Dreams | King Arts School
- This is Me! | Chute Middle School
- I Know Where I’ve Been | Evanston Township High School
- Finale | DCU Emcees + All Programs
Thank You To Our Partners & Friends
An event of this size takes a village and we are fortunate to have an extraordinary group of volunteers helping to make DCU a success!
An extra special thanks goes to Susie McMonagle for her creative direction of the show. This is Susie’s 8th DCU and we are so thankful to have her working with us. Susie is a Broadway star who lives in Evanston and has given her time, talent, and kindness generously to ensure all our young performers reach their full potential. Her Broadway credits include Fantine in Les Misérables and she has toured nationally as Donna Sheridan in Mamma Mia!. We are truly fortunate to call her our coach here in Evanston.
Thanks to our elected officials, principals, teachers, and other community leaders.
Y.O.U.’s partners help bring the event to life.
We thank Dance Is My Everything (D.I.M.E.) for its partnership to provide dance programming to youth across our sites. Youth at our Oakton Elementary and Old Orchard Junior High sites worked with D.I.M.E. to create an original dance piece for DCU which connects us to our elders and the future.
We also thank SOUL Creations for its partnership and support of Walker, Dawes, and Washington Elementary sites. SOUL Creations collaborated with our youth to create an African Drum and Circle ensemble together to recognize our ancestors’ wildest dreams.
After the Show...
We will also be showcasing a pop-up art gallery featuring pieces by our youth across several sites.
These artworks embody this year’s theme, “I Am My Ancestors’ Wildest Dreams.” We are so proud of the artistic expression from the many artists in Y.O.U. programs, so we hope you can spend a few minutes in the lobby and hallway taking it all in before exiting.
Behind the t-shirt
This t-shirt design was created by the youth of our King Arts cartooning group, led by George Folz, a professional cartoonist and former Y.O.U. staff member.
George Folz is an Evanston native who worked for YOU from 2014-2017. Starting as a summer fellow at ETHS, he went on to serve two years as an AmeriCorps, and one year as a Youth Development Specialist at King Arts. Since leaving the organization, he has continued to be involved with his former students as a volunteer, and outside provider, facilitating various enrichment groups for both elementary and middle schoolers. Contracting for clients both locally and nationally as a cartoonist, illustrator, and graphic designer, George also draws commissions as a portrait artist, specializing in dogs and pets. He can be reached through email at georgefolz87@gmail.com.
We leave you with this poem by Jason L. Moore, I’m My Ancestor’s Wildest Dreams