Benefits

Rock For Reading

(www.rockforreading.org) is one of the two charities that will receive a donation from the Chicago Burning Fight shows. I chose this organization because I believe that literacy and education can open up doors that one might never imagine possible.

As much as I love hardcore as a form of music, I was equally drawn to the scene because of the emphasis placed on the exchange of ideas. Hardcore taught me to never take things on face value; rather, we should probe, question, struggle, and converse with others to come to our own conclusions and to, hopefully, create positive change in our communities and the world around us. The hardcore scene is a community that thrives on dialogue. While much of this conversation comes through personal discussion and interaction, I believe that many of these essential ideas are fostered through our ability to read and think critically.

Rock For Reading is an organization that is trying to promote these exact skills in areas all over Chicago. One of the goals listed in their Mission Statement is “motivating and empowering people to enrich their lives through reading.”

Here is their “Vision Statement” from their website (www.rockforreading.org) :

“Reading is an essential foundation for success in school, competing successfully in the workplace and for dreaming. Lifelong education empowers people to ultimately improve socioeconomic conditions for their families, communities, countries and future generations. Literacy opens doors of opportunity and understanding that no other skill can provide. The ability to read, write and understand stimulates communications that impact every life. Rock For Reading’s vision is to inspire a community of readers and to create a community of dreamers.”

Reading changed my life just as much as hardcore did. I can honestly say that without having a solid educational foundation built on a passion for reading that I would not be the person I am today. Rock For Reading shares the vision many from the hardcore scene have: to create positive change and a desire to learn through a community built around a love for music.

–Brian Peterson