Jay-Z and Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney are having a bit of a public battle over the future of the Made in America Festival.
This coming after reports earlier this week that the event will not be allowed to return in 2019 to downtown Philly’s historic Benjamin Franklin Parkway, Hov published an editorial in The Philadelphia Inquirer on July 18th questioning whether the decision is racially motivated.
The open-air festival, hosted annually during Labor Day weekend, has taken place on the mile-long street since their beginning in 2012. The location is home to Philadelphia’s museum district. The original five-year contract expired in 2017 and was renewed for one year.
In Jay Z’s editorial he points out that Made in America has produced a positive $102.8 million economic impact on Philadelphia since 2012. The festival has also donated $2.9 million to the United Way of Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey.
Here’s what Jay had to say in the editorial:
The Made in America festival is a multicultural platform that represents strength, freedom of speech, and perseverance for artists and music lovers. Philadelphia, an iconic city, represents those ideals. The location is integral to the pulse of the festival. The [Benjamin Franklin] Parkway is a cultural arts center that is symbolic to the more than 600 artists who have performed at this event. The Parkway captures the freedom and spirit of inclusivity that drew us to the City of Brotherly Love. The celebratory nature and essence of this festival has inspired locals as well as visitors from across the nation to enjoy Labor Day in Philadelphia.
We are disappointed that the mayor of the city of Philadelphia would evict us from the heart of the city, through a media outlet, without a sit-down meeting, notice, dialogue, or proper communication. It signifies zero appreciation for what Made In America has built alongside the phenomenal citizens of this city. In fact, this administration immediately greeted us with a legal letter trying to stop the 2018 event.
Since 2012, Made in America, one of the only minority-owned festivals, has had a positive $102.8 million economic impact to Philadelphia, and the festival has paid $3.4 million in rent to the city. Made in America employs more than 1,000 Philadelphians each day and 85 percent of our partners are Philadelphia-based companies.
We have studies and reports that prove the festival significantly contributes to Philadelphia’s tourism bottom line. We cannot comment if the mayor has reviewed any of these materials.
We consider this stance a failure on the mayor’s part. Is this an accurate representation of how he and his administration treat partners that economically benefit his city? Do they regularly reject minority-owned businesses that want to continue to thrive and grow alongside his city’s people?
