Ras Tafari Inc. is a Chicago cultural and educational nonprofit dedicated to Caribbean and African Diaspora heritage.
The organization’s roots in Chicago’s reggae and dancehall community run back to the Wild Hare in the early 2000s, and its work today spans live production, cultural preservation and youth programming.
In 2026 it brought back a roots reggae and dancehall festival that had been dark for thirty years, and is producing the 2027 edition (venue to be confirmed). Alongside the festival it maintains year-round programming: the Ital Marketplace, the Healing Grove, Higher Learning Roots and Heritage Village. It operates a public archive documenting the games, toys and yard traditions of Jamaican childhood, and the Pickney Time youth ecosystem.
It produces events end to end — artist contracting, staging, sound, vendor management, permitting, insurance and marketing — with its own equipment inventory and production crew. It is also convening a park advisory council at 63rd Street Beach, which is where this project began.
Applicant record
| Legal name | Ras Tafari Inc. |
| Status | Illinois not-for-profit, incorporated June 8, 2026 · 501(c)(3) effective June 9, 2026 as a 509(a)(2) public charity |
| Illinois file number | 75598726 |
| Main applicant | Albert Harris, Secretary — primary administrative contact for all communications |
| Officers | Stephen Henry, President · Paul Kelly, Vice President and Treasurer · Albert Harris, Corporate Secretary |
Contact
Chicago, IL 60619
Secretary
Supporting documents available
- Documentary rough cut — password-protected screener link
- Film synopsis, treatment and key artist biographies
- Site plan diagrams for all three parks — gallery, performance area, screen position, audience
- Marketing samples: festival flyers, posters and event pages
- Photo documentation of prior productions
- IRS 501(c)(3) determination letter and Illinois certificate of good standing
- Certificate of liability insurance