Chicago

Chicago is a city known for its rich history and culture. But for some, it’s been marred by crime and violence. In this episode, Dulé Hill meets the city’s talented artists to explore why art and activism are often synonymous in the Midwest.

Dulé Hill goes to Red Clay Dance Company, where he meets the founder Vershawn Sanders Ward, a dance instructor enriching her underserved community through the art of African Diasporic dance.

Dulé Hill meets Bassel Almadani, a first-generation, Syrian-American musician who is using his platform to bring awareness to the civil war ravaging his family’s beloved homeland, and the resulting refugee crisis Bassel and his band, Bassel & The Supernaturals, perform the song “Black Water.”

Dulé Hill joins a casting session with the Andre Theatre Collective, a group trying to produce their first play, which was written by incarcerated playwrights. The play examines why much of the city has been marred by crime, especially for those living in Black communities.

Dulé Hill and Bassel Almadani, a first-generation Syrian-American and frontman of the band Bassel & The Supernaturals, visit the Syrian Community Network to meet young children who came to Chicago as refugees.