Voices of Our Ancestors event was a success

Bayou Pearls, an Official Interest Group of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Incorporated® hosted its Voices of Our Ancestors event, at Fletcher Technical Community College. The celebratory event was held in commemoration of the ending of slavery in 1865, and to raise funds for the Finding Our Roots African American Museum rebuilding effort.

The event was held at Fletcher Technical Community College. The evening featured a speech on the history and importance of Juneteenth by Saint Matthew’s Episcopal School student Aiden Woodfork, and a presentation by Finding Our Roots African American Museum President, Margie Scoby.

Tonya Harris, President of Bayou Pearls said the event was held in an effort to help rebuild an important piece of history in Terrebonne Parish. “There’s two reasons why we held this event, one is because we wanted to draw awareness for the African American museum. We wanted to make sure the people in our community knew that there was such rich history in our area and there is a place we can go and revisit that history. It’s been badly damaged so we wanted to bring awareness to the need to refurbish and to rebuild the museum. The second reason is to connect with the membership, raise funds and rebuild the museum,” said Harris. “We have some great community partners and people who are willing to help and that’s the rich culture of the area we live in. It makes me really proud to know that we can do the work, and we don’t have to do it by ourselves.”

The event garnered various sponsors including Jason Bergeron, C.E.O of Stratify Digital, Craig Nicholson of NIFS Insurance, South Down Express, Arlanda J. Williams, and Cannata’s Supermarket. Guests enjoyed complimentary refreshments, delectable pastries served by 3D Dance Academy, and clothing vendor American Dream World Apparel. “We have some great community partners and people who are willing to help and that’s the rich culture of the area we live in. It makes me really proud to know that we can do the work, and we don’t have to do it by ourselves,” Harris added.

Jason Bergeron, C.E.O of Stratify Digital and presenting sponsor shared his enthusiasm for having a hand in the rebuilding of the historic museum and its impact on the community. “We’re almost a year out of Ida and everyone is still trying to recover. I feel like although we’re coming back stronger and faster, we still have a long way to go, and we’re going to do it together. I believe that nothing really has more quality in life than a museum. I’m a firm believer that you can know where you’re going until you know where you’ve been. If we can’t know our history, we’re bound to repeat it. I’m honored to be a part of bringing back a piece of history and culture that is important to who we are and where we are today,”said Jason Bergeron.

Finding Our Roots African American Museum is a pillar of the Terrebonne Community. Founded by Margie Scoby, the museum celebrates African-American history in Terrebonne, Lafourche, and St. Mary Parishes. As the one year anniversary of Hurricane Ida approaches, the museum remains closed after receiving severe wind and water damage. Scoby expressed gratitude for the outpour of support from the community in the rebuilding effort. “It touches my heart because it tells me that the things we’ve done at the museum have clearly touched the lives of people in the community. I was so grateful that people embraced and the township acknowledged that Finding Our Roots Museum is needed.”

For more information on how to donate to Finding Our Roots Museum, visit the Bayou Pearls on Facebook.