The Roots are supporting the ongoing fight against childhood obesity in a special charity concert on Saturday. Tariq “Black Thought” Trotter, co-founder and lead MC of The Roots, will host the concert to raise money for his GrassROOTS Foundation in Philadelphia. It’s the first in a 10-city initiative, reports AllHipHop.com, to bring awareness to childhood obesity in the African-American community.
“Let’s Move It Philly!” will kick off tomorrow at the Sigma Sound Stage at 8 p.m. and will feature various artists, including Black Thought and fellow Roots bandmate, Questlove, along with Rich Medina, DJ Diamond Kuts, Nikki Jean and the Money Making Jam Boys. The event will also include free HIV testing and additional health services.
That's not all that Trotter is up to on Saturday, though. He's also judging the Philly Youth Poetry Movement's Dream Big Literary Arts Festival at West Philly High.
The GrassROOTS Foundation was co-founded by Trotter and sociologist Dr. Janice Johnson Dias, who holds a Ph.D. from Temple University with a specialization in urban and political sociology. Tickets can be purchased online here, and all proceeds from the concert go to C.H.I.C.K.S. (Creating Healthy Informed Confident Knowledgeable Selves), an all-girls afterschool program at Philadelphia’s Harding Middle School that focuses on health literacy, professional skills and more.
