In the late 60s you could have seen a young Chaka Khan, barefoot in Chicago, handing out Black Panther newsletters. She was a teenager when her stepmother got her into the Black radical group – and it changed her, and her eventual superstar music career, forever.
When she got older, she took on more responsibility. Early mornings in her windy city, Chaka would help run the Free Breakfast Program. She was serving her community, keeping them strong.
Once, she was hanging out with her college friends when a police officer arrived and began to harass them. They jumped him – and Chaka even took his gun! She was a child of the Panthers; the pigs did not scare her.
Even after Chaka Khan became the Queen of Funk that we know today, she still continued her activism. In 1999, she opened up the Chaka Khan Foundation, which helps women and children dealing with poverty and also helps spread awareness about autism in communities of color.
It didn’t matter what stage of her life it was, Chaka found a way to stand up for her people and stand up for what she believed in. She is a glowing example that you can have it all and still center your community!