Kuumba Festival of Florida Celebrates African/African American Heritage for Scholarships

News Release

PRESS OFFICE

Release Date: April 01, 2010

Contact: Jermyn Shannon EL  (904) 962-7284    |   marketing@blacksonville.com
Internet Address: http://www.kuumbafestivalfl.org |   info@kuumbafestival.org

Kuumba Festival of Florida Raises
Youth Scholarships through
African/African American Heritage

JACKSONVILLE - The Carter G. Woodson Committee for Positive Education of Jacksonville, Inc. (CGWC) is kicking off its 22nd Annual Kuumba Festival of Florida on Saturday, August 21st, 2010 in the historic African American district of Lavilla. Festivities will be centrally located directly across from the Lavilla School of the Arts, 501 N. Davis Street, adjacent to downtown Jacksonville, Springfield, and Riverside. The multicultural event is scheduled to start promptly at 11:00am to 8:00pm as thousands celebrate a family fun day of cultural and educational activities.

The Kuumba Festival is a free public event, celebrated in other cities throughout the east coast region of the United States as an event where educators, artists, musicians, and orators share and learn authentic music, ancient wisdom, cultural motifs, and the rich tradition of African and African-American, and Caribbean people of the Diaspora.

In the past, the Festival has been supported locally by the City of Jacksonville, the Tourist Development Council, Florida Humanities, Visit Florida, private donors, and corporate sponsors.  Statewide, Kuumba is recognized as the First Coast oldest running cultural music and arts festival. The event remains a critical component to the sustenance of the Carter G. Woodson legacy, “The Father of Black History, Research, and Education in America”. Thus, the impetus of the organization’s name maintains the historical contributions to the American Dream for people of color.

Join the Kuumba Festival of Florida on August 21st as thousands visit our beloved city of Jacksonville for educational workshops, free health services, a lecture series, historic tours and a youth debate demonstration by the “Great Debaters” of the Duval Urban Debate League. For details about vendor space, sponsorships, or volunteer opportunities you may register online at www.kuumbafestivalfl.org, call l 888-477-0565, or email at info@kuumbafestivalfl.org.

The CGWC, a 501©3 non-profit organization, has maintained quality leadership and board governance responsible for various initiatives to service local residents of Duval County. Since the late 1980s, CGWC has focused on grassroots advocacy for education reform and social change throughout Duval County.

The Blacksonville Community Network (BCN) powers the Kuumba Festival of Florida’s brand, social marketing, and digital media. Blacksonville.com, an online information and resource guide for people, events, and news throughout the African Diaspora, will provide up-to-date content and e-Campaigns to increase awareness about the Kuumba Festival and the importance of cultural diversity in schools and the workplace.