Greetings All!
On Saturday, August 29, 2015, the New Orleans Cultural Heritage Festival will
be held at Leimert Park Village located at Vernon Avenue and Crenshaw Boulevard
in the City of Los Angeles, California from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. The event is free
and open to the public.
Exactly ten years ago on August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina hit the City of New
Orleans with devastating consequences. Over 2,000 residents were killed by the
storm and thousands more were either missing or displaced from the Crescent
City. Many of the displaced residents were forced to relocate to other cities
around the nation, including Los Angeles, the City of Angels.
I am a sixth generation New Orleans native. Many of my family members and
friends were deeply affected by Hurricane Katrina. My former neighborhood,
childhood home, grammar school, high school, and church were all
destroyed. Many former residents are deceased or displaced and still in
need of assistance. There will be testimonials at the event from those who have
survived the storm.
This festival will serve to celebrate the unique culture, heritage, music, and
cuisine of New Orleans; featuring second-line dancers, live entertainment, arts
and crafts, as well as a variety of Creole, Cajun, Soul, Southern, and
Vegetarian food dishes. This will be a ten-year commemoration and celebration
of those who have survived one of the most catastrophic events in United States
history.
The event is sponsored by the Universal Multi-Cultural Awareness Foundation,
Inc. (UMCAF); and endorsed by the Offices of Mayor Eric Garcetti, Council
President Herb Wesson, Jr., County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas, the
Empowerment Congress West Area Neighborhood Development Council (ECWANDC), and
the Louisiana to Los Angeles Organizing Committee (LALA).
We hope that you are able to come out and join us in the day’s activities. The
program will include testimonies from Katrina survivors, ten years later. The
New Orleans Cultural Heritage Festival is both a commemoration of those who
have survived that tragic event; and a celebration of the life, times, and
victorious struggles of those who have valiantly persevered. In the New Orleans
tradition, even through the most difficult of times, our people say; “Laissez
les Bon Temps Rouler!” Let the Good Times Roll!
Sincerely,
Ms. Sylvia Jones,
President/CEO, UMCAF, Inc.
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Mobile: +1-424-222-1997 Skype; andrew.williams.jr