Rainbow DJ LabRas Tafari Inc. · Rainbow Beach Park, Chicago
Proposed:The Lab is not running yet. No class runs until every item on the launch checklist is complete.
Rainbow DJ Lab › About the Lab

About the Lab

Who runs Rainbow DJ Lab, what it is, where it will meet, and where it stands today.

What Rainbow DJ Lab is

Rainbow DJ Lab is a free DJ class for children, teens and adults. It is the DJ-class part of Full Spectrum at Rainbow Beach, a proposed year-round music and culture program at Rainbow Beach Park on Chicago's South Side. The live class app calls the course "Rainbow DJ Academy."

Kids work in small groups of four at one DJ controller, taking turns at four jobs. A coach shows each new skill while thinking out loud, then kids try it, fix it, and try again. There are no grades and no tests. Children rate themselves and earn Passport stamps for skills they've shown.

Who runs it

The Lab is run by Ras Tafari Inc., an Illinois not-for-profit corporation and 501(c)(3) public charity at 1401 E. 71st St., Chicago, IL 60619.

Officer Role
Stephen Henry President. Leads the Lab and is the parent and family contact.
Paul Kelly Vice President and Treasurer
Albert Harris Corporate Secretary

Ras Tafari Inc. also produces SelassieFest, Chicago's roots reggae and cultural festival; SelassieFest makes its own decisions about its lineup. No coaches or other staff have been hired yet. See Instructors for how they will be chosen.

How Ras Tafari Inc. keeps the Lab fair:

  • No Ras Tafari Inc. officer, director or staff member is paid for work on the Lab today; any paid role needs approval by directors with no stake in it.
  • DJ trainers are not members of Ras Tafari Inc. They train only, and never select or recommend children for anything.
  • The DJ gear was donated to Ras Tafari Inc. and is used only for its programs.
  • Q-Ality Sound provides sound, stage and lighting only. Its staff never supervise children, get no family data and take no photos or recordings.

See the conflict of interest policy and the Q-Ality Sound vendor agreement.

Where it will meet

Rainbow Beach Park, 3111 E. 77th St., Chicago, IL 60649 (Chicago Park District, South Region, 7th Ward).

  • Fall through spring: indoors at the park fieldhouse, when space is available.
  • Summer: outdoors on the park lawn, as the park approves.
  • Never in the water. Children do not swim during the program.

See Locations for more.

Where things stand today

Status: Proposed. Not running yet.

  • The Chicago Park District has not approved or permitted the program.
  • No class dates are set.
  • No staff are hired.

No class runs until every item on the launch checklist is met.

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