Heard About Woodstock? What About the Harlem Cultural Festival?

Has anyone heard of Woodstock? I would bet that all of you have. How about the Harlem Cultural Festival that ran for six days during this same period in 1969? This rivaled Woodstock but for some reason, the majority of our people have never heard of it. Why?

The Harlem Cultural Festival (also known as Black Woodstock) was a series of music concerts held in Harlem, Manhattan, New York City during the summer of 1969 to celebrate African American music and culture and to promote the continued politics of black pride. Notable participants included Nina Simone, B.B. King, Sly and the Family Stone,[1] Chuck Jackson, Abbey Lincoln & Max Roach, the 5th Dimension, Gladys Knight & the Pips, Stevie Wonder, Mahalia Jackson, and Moms Mabley, among many others.[2] For the concert featuring Sly and the Family Stone on June 29, 1969, the New York City Police Department (NYPD) refused to provide security, and it was instead provided by members of the Black Panther Party