MORGAN PARK — Hip hop poet J. Ivy will be the keynote speaker at the graduation ceremony for students at Sutherland Elementary School in Beverly.
The ceremony will be held from 4-6 p.m. Friday at Morgan Park High School, 1744 W. Pryor Ave.
The Chicago-born Ivy is perhaps best known for his work on Kanye West's 2004 album "The College Dropout." West won a Grammy award for the album that included the song "Never Let Me Down," featuring Ivy and rapper Jay Z.
Ivy became interested in poetry through a routine high school assignment, according to his online biography. His English teacher insisted he take his work to the stage, where he received a standing ovation.
This life-changing moment eventually led to an appearance on "Russell Simmons Presents HBO Def Poetry," also known as Def Poetry Jam. Ivy was the first poet from Chicago on the show and received high praise for his poems "I Need To Write” and “Dear Father.”
Ivy's poem about his estranged father later evolved into a book titled, "Dear Father: Breaking the Cycle of Pain," which was published last year. Ivy's book then led to the Dear Father Letter Writing Campaign.
This effort aims to generated 1 million letters worldwide from children to their fathers with the goal of bringing about healing and forgiveness, according to the artist's website.
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