Soul Train Awards roll into Chicago with Queen Latifah

Chicago prepared for the homecoming of the Soul Train Awards with a lot of style and star power, hosting both a vibrant dance party and a special event with Queen Latifah on Wednesday.

The official ceremony will be taped tonight at the Harris Theater for Music and Dance and broadcast Nov. 27 on BET and CBS at 7 p.m.

But the festivities kicked off yesterday afternoon with the free “Soul in the City” event at the Chicago Cultural Center. Attendees showed off their colorful duds and afros, inspired by the classic ‘70s fashion of the Chicago-born “Soul Train” TV show.

They danced to R&B hits spun by DJ Ca$h Era, took in live performances and enjoyed interactive art activities.

Later that night, presenters BET and Procter & Gamble welcomed Queen Latifah to the Obama Presidential Center, where she showed clips from the documentary, “You Can Go Home Again,” which she produced.

The invite-only affair was attended by celebrities and public figures, including BET President Louis Carr, former Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx, actress LisaRaye McCoy, and singers Durand Bernarr and Muni Long.

Latifah’s film, which premieres on BET after the Soul Train Awards, follows her journey to build affordable housing in her hometown of Newark, N.J. Latifah discussed the project with Tammy Hammond, her business partner and childhood friend, and Damon Jones, chief communications officer at P&G.

“It’s not just a story about me,” Latifah told the crowd. “It’s about how you can do the same thing in your community. “It’s important that you come back and never forget where you came from.”

It was a fitting message for the moment. Even though Don Cornelius launched “Soul Train” in Chicago in 1972, the nearly 40-year-old Soul Train Awards spin-off has never taped in the city. Guided by Carr, a Chicago native, BET partnered with the Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events on the ceremony.

The show, hosted by actor Anthony Anderson, will honor Chaka Khan with the Classic Soul honor.

The famous figures at Latifah’s event reflected on the cultural impact of “Soul Train” and the awards ceremony, which is returning after a two-year hiatus.

“I really wish I could have been born a little bit earlier so I could have cut up on that ‘Soul Train’ line,” said Bernarr, who will receive the Soul Personified Honor and perform at the show.

“Representation matters. There is something about being acknowledged by our people. I’m proud of us and I hope that I’m making us proud.”

Growing up watching “Soul Train” allowed Chicago native LisaRaye McCoy to “put faces to the music.”

“You felt like, ‘I could do that,’” she said. “‘That looks like me. That looks like my cousin.’”

She also said it was “about time” that the awards came to town.

“We need something like this,” she said. “We are establishing relationships and employing people. We’re bringing stars to Chicago.”