Community Café: Ya Lateef

Yusef Lateef was perhaps one of Detroit’s and America’s most legendary Jazz artists. Lateef, who passed away last December, was one of the most prominent American Muslim artists who profoundly transformed this uniquely American cultural expression. In recognition of this artistic giant and the city that he loved so much, IMAN is devoting the theme of our special Detroit CommUNITY Café—on Friday, August 29—to this legend and to this beautiful attribute of the Divine.  Al Lateef translates as The Most Gentle and is one of the names of the Divine.

For decades, Jazz lovers around the world heard Yusef Lateef channel the healing power of music through his phenomenal and distinctive artistic genius.  At a time when our world, cities and hearts, and those that claim to represent our spiritual traditions have become hardened by apathy, cruelty and harshness, IMAN is dedicating this CommUNITY Café to call on and culturally channel the spiritual, transformative and healing force of Divine Gentleness as an anthem to the reclamation of human dignity in urban Detroit and across the world.  It’s this force that is animating the drive to reclaim and re-imagine inner-city Detroit and other urban neighborhoods across the country, and it’s this force that drives us at IMAN.
IMAN’s first CommUNITY Café in Detroit is being held in partnership with:
– Dream of Detroit project: An urban housing initiative inspired, in part, by IMAN’s Green ReEntry.
– CoExist Foundation: Coexist is a non-profit organization advancing social cohesion through education and innovation.
– Islamic Society of North America (ISNA), whose 51st Convention will be taking place a few-minute walk from Flat 151, the location of the Detroit  CommUNITY Café.  Those registered for ISNA will not be asked for the $10 admission fee and those attending CommUNITY Café will be given access to ISNA’s key Friday night program that will begin shortly after our program ends.

The program will feature performances by Brother Ali, Detroit native One Be Lo and Wendell Harrison & Ensemble among others.