Walt Whitman and the Soul Children of Chicago

Organized in October 1981, the Soul Children of Chicago, under the leadership of Walt W. Whitman, Jr., was created as an alternative program for African American at-risk youth in the community to creatively express themselves and their exuberant energy through music. The Soul Children of Chicago is a non-profit organization of 30-40 male and female voices ranging from 7-17 years of age. Since its inception, the Soul Children of Chicago has remained a positive force through which at-risk youth have an opportunity to learn cooperative interaction with their peers in an environment that fosters support, cultural enlightenment, academic achievement, and self-discipline.  

From the beginning, the mission of the Soul Children of Chicago has been “to serve as a laboratory and demonstrational workshop for young adults, where their talents may be perfected, but more importantly, avail as opportunity to espouse discipline, professionalism, socialization, and responsibility,” and this is still true today.  The success in the program of The Soul Children of Chicago can be found in its ability to “Educate the Minds, Elevate the Spirits, and Illuminate the Souls of our Youth.”

The Soul Children of Chicago is a strong and proven program that keeps at-risk youth off the streets and out of gangs by providing them with an alternative support network that emphasizes academic excellence, mutual support, and social responsibility. The Soul Children are a catalyst for hope and part of a trend wherein partnerships within the community are being created with the expressed interest of fostering positive socialization and are in support of a solid foundation for the education of African American at-risk youth who, through this program, are nurtured to their fullest potential in every area of their lives.