NEW ORLEANS, LA - The Bayou Road Business Association, Black Bayou Cultural Heritage &
Economic Development Association, and Broad Community Connections will host HomeFest in
celebration of Community Book Center on Saturday, September 23, 2023. Held on the 2500th
block of Bayou Rd., from 11am to 7pm, the event will honor Community Book Center’s 40th
Anniversary, celebrate black entrepreneurship and uplift those businesses and organizations
along Bayou Road.

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Initiated as a response to the festival landscape having an underwhelming drive of promotion
and patronage to local businesses, HomeFest was created in 2013 by Community Book Center’s
Griot, Jennifer Turner, and its Founder, Vera Warren-Williams to draw people to Bayou Road, the
pulse of New Orleans’ Black culture, art, and commerce. Its aim is to elevate cultural
institutions, creatives and native talents while bringing economic development to areas outside
of the CBD (Central Business District).

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“This event has special significance in that it represents CBC's 20th anniversary on Bayou Road,
its 40th Anniversary in business. I’m grateful to be a part in Bayou Road’s growth as a cultural
commercial district, and to celebrate our alliance in advocating for community literacy, historical
preservation and culture.” says Vera Warren-Williams, Founder and Director of Community
Book Center.

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HomeFest is free and open to the public. The day will feature live music, food, drinks, curated
activations, and a variety of retail and community resource vendors. Additionally, the
presenting sponsor, Kinfolk Foundation, will present a groundbreaking virtual monument
activation that will immerse fest goers in local cultural history. Partners include Ashe Cultural
Arts Center, The Black School, New Orleans Business Alliance and many more.
“HomeFest prioritizes community. In a city that thrives off of tourism and hospitality, our small
business owners need access to that thriving economy. Nationally, Black businesses had a
closure rate of 41%, twice the national average during COVID-19. It’s vital that we support our

Black-owned businesses to not only grow the revenue of their institutions, but to support the
employees and ecosystem that our communities depend upon to help combat our state’s racial
wealth gap and preserve our neighborhoods,” said Dasjon “Dj” Jordan, Executive Director of
Broad Community Connections (BCC).

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To learn more about HomeFest 2023, visit www.bayouroad.com or visit @bayouroad.nola on Instagram

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Broad Community Connections (BCC) is a community development organization devoted to building
community power, wealth and data innovation by investing in the health, economic, residential, and
cultural development of Broad Street neighborhoods.

The Bayou Road Business Association (BRBA) is a
collaborative initiative composed of majority Black, Brown and women business and property owners as
well as eligible stakeholders focused on maintaining and improving the commercial corridor.

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